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Pastor’s Note:
Starting this Sunday, we will be working our way through the New Testament letter we call 1st Peter. This letter, traditionally attributed to Simon Peter, the Bishop of Rome (but more likely written by one of Peter’s disciples) is written to a faith community undergoing trials and tribulations for their faith.
The letter is addressed to “God’s chosen strangers in the world of the diaspora…” (Vs. 1:1). While the Christians that Peter is writing to were undergoing real persecution unlike anything seen in our practice of faith, I think we can relate these days to being dispersed, spread out, not gathered together. Thus, we will be seeing what Peter might reveal to us about faith in a world in which we are physically distant from one another. 1 Peter helps us to think about living out our faith in troubling times and our identity as a people called by God to reveal God’s love into the world.
Psalm of the Week:
Psalm 66:8-20
Click on the link above to read this week’s Psalm
The Story of Faith:
1 Peter 1: 1-9
Click on the link above to read this week’s Bible reading
Questions for Reflection:
- In our current context, what does it mean to live as one of “God’s chosen strangers” dispersed throughout the land?
- How do you personally experience the “living hope” that was given through the resurrection of Jesus?
- Do you believe that your faith is tested or proven through experiencing trials and difficulty?