Christianity in an UnChristian World: Unity
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Last week, meditating on
being Christians in an UnChristian world, St. Peter told us that our identity
as baptized children of God means we are called to holiness, a life set apart
from what the world believes and offers. In chapter 2 of his first letter,
Peter builds on that identity. You are meant to be holy, but there’s more to
the story—more blessing, more grace. When you are baptized into Christ, you are
baptized into a community, into a Church, into “a spiritual house, a holy
priesthood.” That also is your identity, a reality greater than just being
on your own, or just “you and Jesus.”
This
is not an original concept from Peter. All of Scripture speaks of God’s people
as a group, a community, a family. When there are individuals, like Moses or
Abraham, they are called to be the beginning of a community, or one will be
formed around them. In the beginning God said, “It is not good for man to be
alone;” that is still true. In all times and places, God gathers the
solitary together. You are not on your own; you are part of a family, one that
God has been building from the beginning; one which includes you, people long
gone, and people yet to come. Time and place are no barrier to God. And so,
Peter says, you are “living stones.” Those stones “are being
built up” together into “a spiritual house,” which is built on the
foundation of Christ, “the chief cornerstone.”
Even though this is
not a new teaching, it is a particularly challenging one, especially since our
culture values self-sufficiency and treasures self-achievement as perhaps never
before. This is aided by technology, which has created the paradox that we live
in today. Technology has made it possible to communicate quickly with people
around the world, yet we prisoners to the devices in our hands, chained to our
chairs, seldom meeting each other face to face. We have thousands of virtual
friends, and yet we do not even know the people who live next door. The
neighborhood church used to be the place of gathering and socialization; now
social media, chat rooms, and video interaction have tried to make the Church obsolete.
The world has never been so crowded, and yet people have never been so alone.
I’m
not blindly bashing technology. I met my wife on the Internet. Technology is a
good gift from God. Like any other gift, it is only evil when we make evil use
of it. While technology was not nearly as advanced in Peter’s day, those
Christians also found themselves alone and separated because persecution had
scattered them to the ends of the earth in fear.
Yes,
we are more than how we define ourselves. But we are also not defined by our
location or our friends list. True unity exceeds the divisions this world and
its prince can erect. Our unity is in Christ. We are members of His Body,
joined to Him through water and the Word, forgiven and raised with Him to new
life. Peter summarizes that by calling you “a living stone.”
Let
us ask the good Lutheran question: What does this mean? It means you
have been put where you are by the Builder. You fit there. You stand on the
shoulders of the ones under you; you support the ones above you; you stand
side-by-side with those next to you. Those stones around you might have pointy
edges, rough spots, holes, bumps, and all kinds of imperfections. That doesn’t
matter; you have them too. They are different than you, but at the same time
they are one with you in this Church, built by Christ. Without you, there is a
hole. You belong here.
It
may not always seem that way. You may seem smaller than some other stones, or
older, or not as strong, or not as beautiful; but you matter here. This is
where God has placed you: resting on Christ the Cornerstone and linked to
fellow living stones, your brothers and sisters in Christ. What we do, we do
together. What we do affects others, whether we realize it or not. Again, it’s
not going to be easy. Peter’s hearers were scattered all over an unchristian
world; you and I will leave this place today and live in the midst of a world
increasingly hostile to Christ, His Word, His values, and His people. What we
do and how we live does not depend on whether or not the world is friendly or
receptive to us. It is simply how we live as this Body, this building of
Christ, for the glory of His name.
What
if others do not live the same? What if they repay us evil for the good Christ
does through us? What if they do not help, but hurt? It doesn’t matter; they
did the same to Jesus. He will sustain you through trial and hardship and
persecution—even to a martyr’s death. He sustains you through communion:
communion with your brothers and sisters in Christ, and, more importantly, communion
with Him through His Word and His own body and blood. So do not neglect the
Word of God. It is your “pure spiritual milk,” and it will sustain you
and strengthen you. Hear it; read it; pray it; be washed in it; eat it. For
indeed “you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” In the name
of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all
understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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