"It might be hope" -- 1 Peter 3:8-22

1 Peter was written to a group of new converts to Christianity in the geographical region of Asia Minor. These folks would likely not be having an easy time of things. Christianity would have been very suspect at the time, a threatening and unwelcome intrusion. The author encourages his charges to "have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind." Now, I find myself thinking about all of the churches I have been a part of through the years. And I find my self smiling, maybe even laughing. These tend to be high aspirations for us! So many of us are not altogether convinced of the unity of our individual spirit, let alone in concert with anyone else. Sympathy, love, tenderness... it sounds simple. But it's anything but. And a humble mind... Granted, my time is spent on a college campus so my perception might be skewed just a bit. It's hard to be humble when you are trying so very hard to be confident, competent. There is a constant tension between not wanting to admit to all you still need to learn, and demonstrating that you are in fact adept at navigating those waters you have already waded into.

We fast forward a few verses and we see, "Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?" If we are honest with our selves, I tend to think the answer to that question is, "Plenty of people!" Doing the right thing can be perceived as threatening by those who are so much more accustomed to doing what ever they feel like doing. Ultimately, the author gets this, and suggests that suffering because you have done the right thing is actually a blessing. This is probably one of those things that people often trip over, that tends to get stuck in one's craw.

"Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you." Given that this letter was intended for new converts, that hope would likely have been bubbling close to the surface. But perhaps for some of us today that might not be the case. Sometimes it slips away. Sometimes we forget. If we are fortunate, though, we will remember.

If I can figure out how to do it... I would very much like to share a beautiful song by Sara Groves. I found a video on Youtube... we'll see how this goes...