Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the basis for this last written word only sermon prior to our return to public worship next Sunday is the appointed Epistle reading for the sixth Sunday of Easter 1Peter 3:13-22
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered] once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
In recent days it would almost be scandalous to talk in our public sphere about the goodness of God. People are dying of a virus. Even some children are developing some significant symptoms, and some children are dying. We can picture no worse tragedy than 3 or 4 year old children, otherwise healthy, now dead from respiratory complications.
We know already after the first day of creation God saw all that He made and called it good. “After the sixth day God saw everything that he had made and behold it was very good.” Psalm 107 provides a memorable confession of faith about God’s goodness: “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”
We also know that this current world is fallen. If the massive upheaval by the virus was not enough, we have killer hornets becoming more prevalent in our nation as the news articles warn us. People wonder where is God’s goodness amidst a fallen world? Through the scripture we see a pattern that it is not man’s role to say what is good and what is not, it is God alone who can say this. God promises to Israel that He will provide good for us, and we see for ourselves that God’s saving work in our lives is good. The resurrection of our Lord stands as indisputable evidence that God is for us and good to us.
1Peter chapter 3 invites us to consider the consistent virtue of focusing our passion toward what is good. “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for doing good?”
When we put our minds toward living in the righteousness of Christ we know we are on the right track in life. Sometimes it comes as a rude awakening to me when I experience a conflict among a friend or family member or a co-workers. After a while in life, I think we all realize we want what is best in our relationships and it is simply not enjoyable to have discord.
Conflicts with others may sneak up on us, but so often they are a result of selfishness. When I am selfish, I may hurt other’s feelings inadvertently. I might even disappoint others through not being considerate or compassionate for the circumstances others are going through. How different is the result when I think of loving others with the love of God! Conflicts are few and far between, and that feeling of having peace in life becomes something you can just take for granted.
Of course there are other times where people may harm us, even as we are doing good in the sense of following in the steps of our Savior. These are times when we may suffer for righteousness sake. Even in such a state of persecution, we are still blessed with God’s goodness. We are blessed because the persecution we encounter puts us in the righteousness of the cross. When we are persecuted we are brought right to the cross of Jesus, trusting in His righteousness and his goodness despite all that we see around us.
The reading invites us to have no fear but instead regard Christ the Lord as holy. When we see that God alone is good, we trust that Jesus will take us through the trials we face and bring us to a greater good. The lie of Satan is that God is not good toward us, and that we as a result need to fend for ourselves and find good for ourselves. Instead we trust in faith that Jesus alone is holy, set apart for us. This is the gift of God’s Word to us, that we may think those things that are right and true.
Our fallen human nature fails time after time to see things in the right light. Instead we need God’s Word to illumine our path. The appointed Introit for this Sunday gives us these familiar words from Psalm 119: Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Through the rebirth of Holy Baptism delivered through God’s Word, our path is forever changed. 1 Peter 3:21 reminds us of how Baptism saves us not simply as a removal of dirt from our bodies, but as “an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” What a relief it is when we realize the good conscience, the pursuit of a good life is a gift freely given by Jesus. This gift applied to our lives is a guarantee as sure and certain as Christ’s resurrection.
Without attending worship in recent weeks we have indeed been missing out on the very tangible reminders in the worship service that God is for us. Our consciences in many cases through this period of waiting have felt troubled.
Here is the Prayer of the Day for the sixth Sunday of Easter: O God, the giver of all that is good, by Your holy inspiration grant that we may think those things that are right and by Your merciful guiding accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
May our Lord indeed guide us to think those things that are right, and also accomplish them through the new life we have in Christ.
