Some Hazards

Reflections on 1 Peter 2.2-10

"... But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people. ... Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. ..."

To whom is such high praise being offered? It may come as a surprise that this letter is not addressing members of the emperor’s court, nor the leading established business people, not even the clerical hierarchy of the churches! No. This letter was written to new Christians. And who were they? They came from the ranks of the displaced, or with the status of slaves. They were the dispossessed, the outcasts of the Empire. These people were socially, economically, and politically marginalized.

When we know that, we may hear the words a bit differently. This young Church was in a precarious position, within the Roman world; a position which we can hardly begin to imagine. It was not a “pillar of society”, not a comfortable gathering of like-minded people of similar backgrounds. It was not a social club, created to meet the needs of its members. Neither were the clergy a respected group in the city, who could organize a Consul’s Prayer Breakfast, or a Remembrance Day Service. They were not a “force to be reckoned with”; any letter of protest from the bishops would carry no weight with the government.

But the Church certainly did understand it had a purpose. They were called to take the risk of offering hospitality. Their mission was to be a safe place of refuge, for those who were not welcome in the society. Those newly baptized would have found, in the Christian community, a new standing, a new status. They discovered the good news, that God, in Christ, had created, for them, a new place; a place where they were valued; a home for those who had no spiritual home.

A “holy nation”, that is, sacred, made separate from, not ordinary. A “chosen people",that is, chosen by God, for God’s purposes, to reflect God’s values.

Being “chosen” means that it is God’s church, not ours. We need constantly to remind ourselves that we have been chosen to be set apart from the world. Set apart in order to proclaim God’s acceptance of the unacceptable, God’s hospitality, and God’s mercy to those who receive no mercy. But far too easily, the church identifies with society, and with our cultural values. In particular, our North American church has so bought into the established economics, and values, that little difference can be seen. We are to take our identity from Christ; but his values have little to do with keeping busy, striving for status, or getting more money and more stuff.

This should provoke us to be aware of some hazards; let me suggest three.

1. The first is the enticement to which small churches are particularly susceptible, any church that pictures itself as “small”, and understands that smallness as “not good”. The lure is to try to grow, bigger or better, by means of various schemes and gimmicks. Unfortunately, many of these programmes or methods tend to view things through the eyes, and values, of the very world from which we need to be providing a place of refuge. [“Bigger is better, so is faster, and louder”, etc.] But, where are we, when we attempt to make ourselves “attractive”, by taking up the values, and the structures, of the surrounding culture? We are called to offer an alternative household, to those who are “weary and heavy laden”.

2. The second temptation is in how we hear these phrases:
"... You are a royal priesthood ..., [and are to] be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices ..."

It is the newly Baptized who have this status. This means, these words are addressed to lay persons. Not to the clergy. One certainly could get a different impression today, when taking part in a Diocesan service at a cathedral, where the fine robes (signs of power and status), are worn by those in the highest seats, and in strict hierarchical order!

3. In this passage, all of us are called “God’s people, a royal priesthood”, etc. Those words certainly point to a high status. It is easy to begin to believe that this status is a result of our own goodness, and worthiness, and effort. We may forget this is a gift, from God. When we do that, there soon appears the temptation to exclude others. We see them as not to be included, because “they” are not as good, righteous, or hard working, or they fail to show the same level of commitment or of contribution, as “us”. All of which are variations on “they have not earned our place in the household”.

There are many dwelling places in our Father’s house; Christ has prepared, for each of us, a place.