Can you imagine what it must have been like to hear the
words, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and
keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for
all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom
of priests and a holy nation”? How could
it be true that this family, albeit a very large family, could have been
horribly mistreated slaves in Egypt only three months ago and now the God who
created the universe was telling them that they would be His treasured
possession? Their reaction is simple,
we’ll do everything the Lord says. Who
wouldn’t accept such an offer? Peter
uses exactly these words to describe the Christians to whom he wrote. We are joined into God’s people through
Jesus, we know we are treasured as they are because of Jesus’ death on the
cross that has redeemed us from slavery to sin.
This promise is extended to us, we have the same offer.
John’s message to the religious leaders is true, God is able
to raise up children of Abraham, believers, out of stones. True children of Abraham are those people of
faith. John’s belief is that these
leaders are not coming with pure motives, only doing so to curry favor with the
people who have accepted John’s message.
John’s message isn’t simply to be baptized but to bear fruit in keeping
with repentance, let your life show that you have clearly changed your mind
about some things that needed to go. If
you walk away the same person with the same attitudes, there was no grace
imparted by the baptism. In our
tradition we believe that the sacraments, baptism and communion, impart grace
to the extent we worthily receive them.
Such reception is based in our confession of faith in Jesus and our
confession of sin in our lives. John, as
always, points to a greater one to come, never pointing to himself.
Paul uses Exodus language in explaining redemption. We have been transferred from the kingdom of
darkness, recall the plague of darkness over Egypt, into the kingdom of His Son
which, by extension, would imply light as the opposite of that other
kingdom. That work is meant to transform
us into a different kind of people, a people who display His glory because of
the hope that is within us. Our desires
and longings are changed, and Paul prays that the Colossians would walk worthy
of the call they have received. To be a
kingdom of priests requires a very different mentality, the recognition that we
are to be different, distinctive. Are we
revealing a different kingdom?
And though this world,
with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
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