Embracing Our Identity as Chosen People of God

1) "In the Christian story, our worth is found in the fact that we ourselves have been chosen by God. Peter is calling the people of this letter, the believers, back to a more foundational identity. Peter uses language of us being living stones as a part of God's house and God's temple, but also attributes to us this priestly language. Like Alex mentioned, we are the ones who chose them. Like Alex mentioned a couple Sundays ago, this language is actually firmly rooted in the Old Testament and would have been very familiar to Peter. However, to us Gentiles, for us non-Jews, we may need some more exploration, especially since we're only 2,000 years removed from their context." [06:30] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "God's temple, the place where he dwells, is no longer Herod's political building project, nor in any other place made by human hands. Rather, God now dwells with those who were made by his hands, in his image and in his likeness, us. The Holy Spirit has revitalized the breath of God that was breathed into humanity at creation and baptized us for kingdom work. It means that we are all priests, meant for the work of God. It is no longer restricted to the tribe of Levi, thank God, all of us. Your job title, your talents, your vocation, none of that matters. It is no longer just the Levites, but it is all of us that God has called into the priesthood of the kingdom of God. It means we all have skin in this game." [19:00] (57 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "We sacrifice because it is what we see as Christ's model. In his death, Jesus gave it all. And to pick up our cross means that we every day are learning to do a little bit of the same. Finally, Peter ends our section with this, but you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special people. 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." [22:42] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "For those of you who have taken this outstretched hand, do not be afraid of losing it. Like I mentioned before, sometimes in the church, we seem to discount the power of God's mercy. We seem like it's a slim type rope so easily slipped off in a moment where our disordered desires get the best of us. This mentality can help us feel insecure in our status as a member of God's people, his family. I want to affirm to everyone here who has accepted Christ as their Lord, salvation is not a fickle thing. It is not sand that slowly slips through our hands and is lost in the wind. Rather, it is a powerful example of God's plan to bring humanity back to where we began, in the garden with our loving God, our maker. In the cool of the day." [25:14] (55 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "Secondly, I would just remind us to remember our priestly duties. Peter described our duty twofold in this passage, sacrifice and mercy. And I love this because of how often these two things coincide. That Venn diagram is very close. For mercy, true, mercy is often a thing of sacrifice. Christ's ultimate display of mercy was shown when he gave up his very life. And to be instruments of that mercy, Christ asks us to sacrifice. He asks us to sacrifice what we would rather do to be people of over mercy. Mercy simply defined is giving someone what we do not think they deserve. Forgiveness, but it is ultimately taking action that we do not deserve. Why? Because we have been recipients of mercy that we never earned. But it is what we have received from God." [28:45] (65 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)