Week 41, Day 2
October 11, 2022 Scripture: 1 Peter 2 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9–10) Peter connects the Christian to the Old Testament promise of Abraham. We are a called-out people, set apart from the world to be a kingdom of priests. That is, we are blessed by God to be his children and are now a blessing to the world. It is important for us to consider ourselves priests in the world. We represent God to others and we also go to God on their behalf in prayer. There is an ongoing $100 million dollar ad campaign called, “He gets us.” The aim of the campaign is to change the narrative about Jesus. We have a marketing problem, the church has not represented Christ well, and the campaign is looking to brand Jesus better than the church has represented him over the years. I understand the concerns of those who have contributed to the campaign to circumvent the problem of a poor view of Jesus because of the churches less than stellar example. I appreciate the effort to change the narrative. But what we need, I think, is right here in the text. It’s the reminder and challenge that we are God’s representatives in the world. Priests played a vital role in the community of Israel. They offered the sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins, they mediated conflict, they cared for the hurting, cleansed those who were sick, they ministered to the community. They prayed on the people’s behalf. Provided sanctuary in cities of refuge. Their roles were to represent God in the world. They were called to live lightly, so they might be free to minister well to their communities. We are set apart now, to declare praises. We are called to be a light in the darkness. We have a branding problem of the church, for sure. But an ad campaign, no matter how much is spent on it, will move the l needle slightly. We need to adjust our attitudes towards ministry and calling. We are all called to be priests in the kingdom of God. Each of us are witnesses and share the good news of Jesus. You are blessed to be a blessing. Go be a priest today, love someone and give God praise.
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AuthorJordan Ickes, Minister of Etna Green Church of Christ. Archives
December 2022
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