If you are in exile, scattered to a place you do not really call ‘home’, what security do you have? What is there to cause you to praise? What will the future hold? These could be the sorts of questions being asked by those to whom the apostle Peter wrote his first letter.
Similarly, we might feel insecure today. If more institutions become hostile to Christian truths, career plans and thoughts of job security start to fade away. What security is there for ministers and congregations in declining denominations?
Into the fragility of exile and scattering, Peter blasts a note of praise and security: 'Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Peter 1:3).
Why holiness is beautiful
A few months ago, I met with a local pastor who had known my aunt about 20 years ago. When …