From Darkness to Light
God's Call and Responsibilities
God Calls You into Light
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 1 Peter 2:1-12 New International Version 2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. The Living Stone and a Chosen People4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”[b] 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”[c] 8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”[d] They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9 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.10 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. Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
For Reflection
As a follower of Christ and in the process of Christian transformation, don't you feel sometimes like an exile in your own country? Peter explains that believing and acting as a child of God changes us so dramatically, that others who have not accepted this alternative culture will not recognize us as one of their own.
"Whether new to faith or long-time believers, the people of our congregations need to be grounded in their identity in Christ in ongoing ways. Whatever their circumstances, they can derive a profound sense of hope (1:13) from hearing that they too are God’s precious stones, built upon that living cornerstone. They are God’s own possession and have been brought from darkness to light to offer spiritual sacrifices and to proclaim God’s wonderful acts of mercy."*
*Jeannie K. Brown, Professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary St. Paul, MN, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/fifth-sunday-of-easter/commentary-on-1-peter-22-10-4 PrayGive thanks to God who has welcomed you into God’s family by God's unfailing mercy.
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