11/09/2024 – Prologue – Well, the election is over and it turned out to be a cultural tussle. One of the elites had the courage to admit that the Democrats lost to the folks who actually make America work. Who are the elites? To make it very simple the basic test is: Does one actually perspire in the daily functioning of their profession? For generations this was the Democratic party and the coalition was put together by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1932 election. It was a time when all Americans suffered financially, but not to the depth of the American laborer. Somewhere, somehow the Democrats lost their way, vis a vis the working class in America and became the party of Hollywood, Urbanites, Academia, and adherents to Marxist ideology. These folks have gotten full of themselves.
[1 Peter 3:1-7] – Marriage and Its Challenges – Even in our society today it is easy to stereotype folks. We still put on stuff, apply stuff, buff stuff, pierce stuff and employ symbols. But Peter takes a different tack. He wants us to see women's beauty coming from the heart. His attempt makes a married woman fully human by a thing which affects her entire character, rather than something purely topical. – Novel thought! Suppose a man can find fulfilment by treating his wife as a full equal and not by bullying. Suppose she stands on level ground with her husband. These were radical ideas in Peter’s time and far too often, in many parts of the world, are applicable today. What would it be like if Christians were to start cheerfully behaving differently toward their spouses regardless of the societal stereotypes. If this sounds radical, it is because we have to relearn this lesson every generation. Unfortunately, we (men and women), tend to allow societal stereotypes and hormonal instincts to drive us. We do not find it easy to rethink our respective roles driven not by the modern aspect of ‘liberation’ but by the Gospel of Jesus, the Messiah. We need to be careful here, many men will rely on [v. 1-6] and totally put aside the forgotten [v. 7]. The line between cheerful radicalism and falsely ‘meek subservience’ is fine. Let us explore the aim of getting along. There are two larger issues: the first (historical) aim was that non-Christian husbands should be won for the faith [v. 1]. During the first two or three centuries this was a cause for the rapid spread of the faith. In a period when authorities were trying to stamp out Christianity, there were more Christian women than non-Christian. The reason was: in non-Christian households most female babies, after the first daughter were, placed outdoors to die of exposure, snatched by animals or taken to be raised as slaves. Daughters were considered expensive and a nuisance. This custom was not practiced by the Christians or Jews. Christians followed the advice of this chapter and Christian families grew and thrived. The second and larger element, especially today, is to follow [v. 7]. If bullying exists in a marriage, shared prayer will be an imposition rather than a joyful joint effort. Often, couples may like to pray separately, but when they do or when they attend church together there should be no resentment between them or that there is any pressure to comply. We must look to the ancient world, to a time when Aristotle claimed women were secondary human beings. We must then realize how revolutionary was the message of Peter. This was simply the teachings of Jesus, Himself. Was and Is!
[1 Peter 3:8-16] – The New Way of Life – When we were young, we usually had little difficulty in getting settled in a new neighborhood or school. Adults do not respond with an equal amount of flexibility. Perhaps it is because we are more ingrained in our habits. Change may be stressful. This is especially true for the Christian in the 21stC. It certainly was true in the 1st and 2nd C. Until recently in North America and Europe, it was taken for granted that one lived in a ‘Christian’ country. Certainly, we had Jews, Muslims and others among us, but they seemed to participate in society in much the same way as ‘Christians’. That has all been cast aside and now those adhering to Christianity may stand out. Those in politics, art, media and especially journalism have a tendency to look at Christians with scorn, criticism and discrimination. As a result, it appears as if a palpable number of Christians are rejoining the world, the new mainstream: many are leaving Christianity or dropping the external characteristics of being Christian. That is doubly true in China and most Muslim countries. The Christian today is deciding whether to slip into conformity with the world or become standoffish. Today we are apt to hear/read that a worker was sacked for wearing a cross and refusing to remove it. How does a Christian behave when surrounded by a world that does not understand and appears not to want to understand. Peter suggests [Ps. 34], “Seek peace, and follow after it.” We may find this ‘peace’ difficult to find. Thus, the observation that it may be hard work and/or we may have to learn a new habit. Here is the obvious dichotomy: Christians are supposed to standout as unique, but if we do, we are mocked or ridiculed. If we respond - with mocking and ridicule – we are no longer unique. It is a victory for the world when Christians, ‘give as good as they get’. This is collusion and is no different than accepting immorality or corruption as a way of life. We should lean on Christian friends (church), as a safe environment [v. 8] and to learn how to respond. We are then prepared to navigate the world. [v. 9; 12-16] This is easy to get wrong, even in church. Peter and Paul over and over stress one basic rule - be with folks who are like-minded, sympathetic, loving, tender-hearted and humble. Early Christians were especially aware that they were called to be tender-hearted, no matter the difficulty. That is why Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit – to be able to establish new habits for our lives and our hearts. We must look at ourselves in light of what happens when we become frustrated in public. Or in today’s main street of anonymity – the internet. Are we tempted to resort to vile language, scoldings, and feelings of superiority? This is corrosive. This behavior is disastrous, damaging to our character, mind and heart. If not curbed, it will grow and emerge in public places. The underlying meaning of [Ps. 34; James] is to curb our tongue. We must stop it from doing damage. Especially if we are prepared to face a hostile world. It is there that our conduct must be Christian and proper. We must not defeat ourselves. We must guard against being labelled as: “no better than all the rest of us.” If such is the case, probably we are worse off. We must retain our composure, if we do, we will be able to explain why we have the hope that is in us. [v. 15] (JD Vance, is masterful) When we explain our hope it must be done with gentleness and respect. We must not imply we are clever, superior or that we have this religion ‘thing’ all figured out. We must hold a good conscience – day by day, hour by hour; and we must keep control of our inner moral monitoring system. Do not let it get rusty, stale or lacking in influence over our actions. This inward look, in reality, is an outward look. A good Christian conscience means being a good witness in a puzzling and suspicious world. It may take a while to develop – it is a slow process. But let us remind ourselves of something that is very quick: a single moment of stupidity which allows the world to ignore the Gospel forever more. AMEN
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