“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)
As I have observed before in this blog, the Lectionary readings speak to the times we are enduring. We are suffering in the midst of uncertainty, fear and loneliness. We need to ponder the words of the Apostle Peter who wrote this epistle to encourage Christians who were enduring suffering, not a pandemic, but persecution. He wanted to encourage them in the midst of their trials. To do so, he reminded them that they had been greatly blessed. They were members of the Church of Christ Jesus which is the focal point of God’s plan of salvation. The prophets foretold of its coming and the angels observed it with gladness. In the Church, God has created for Himself a new people.
Peter told believers that they had been born again. They have been granted a new life and are no longer slaves to sin. They ought to rejoice for those in Christ Jesus are assured that they share in His Kingdom. This great inheritance of salvation is so much more precious than any material thing including gold and silver. It is a spiritual inheritance that will never pass away. There is nothing we would trade for it for nothing can compare with is value and excellence.
In this pandemic, many of those things we have forced to do without, the things we thought were so important have been exposed to be unnecessary, or, at best, of lesser value. Church is not one of that group. Enforced isolation makes us long even more earnestly for fellowship with our loved ones and our Christian brethren. Streaming worship services on line, though uplifting and beneficial, is not a long lasting substitute for corporate worship though it is far superior to streaming efforts of the media, the government, and celebrity concerts to unite us. True unity only exists in and through Christ Jesus.
Our present isolation and deprivations may give many of us cause to be tempted to doubt, lose heart, to turn to sinful and worldly ways. Peter exhorts us to persevere. In the light of the fact that we possess such a precious salvation, we can hold on to our faith. After all, we are guaranteed eternal life, no matter what the world may say or do to us. Through the grace of God, believers are called to behave with holiness, charity, unselfishness and godliness in the face of temptation and loss. We are called to persevere in our faith in the midst of a culture that is growing increasingly hostile to Christianity. Only our faith and trust in the Lord can enable us to do so.