“The Church—God’s Beloved People” 1 Peter 2:2–10 Easter 5A, May ‘26

 

“The Church—God’s Beloved People” 1 Peter 2:2–10 Easter 5A, May ‘26

 

1.      Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and from our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word, as we observe the 5^th Sunday of Easter, is taken from the Epistle lesson that was read a moment ago, from 1 Peter 2:2-10, it’s entitled, “The Church—God’s Beloved People,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.      In a world that often measures worth by appearances, achievements, or popularity, we hear that familiar saying: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A child’s drawing may look like scribbles to most, but to a loving parent it is a treasure. So it is with you, dear Christians. By the world’s standards, there may seem to be nothing particularly impressive. Yet in the eyes of God, you are precious beyond measure—not because of what you have done, but because of what Christ has done for you. As St. Peter declares, you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” (1 Peter 2:9). The living Savior has exalted your status. Joined to Him, you are God’s newborn, chosen, priestly people.

3.      First, you are God’s newborn people. St. Peter urges us, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). A newborn child brings nothing into the world. Everything is gift—life, nourishment, care. So it is with you. Your spiritual life is not something you created or earned. Rather, “according to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). In Holy Baptism, God gave you new birth. He claimed you as His own. He washed away your sins and raised you up with Christ.

4.      And like newborns, you live by what God provides. You long for the “pure spiritual milk”—His Word. Not the empty and unsatisfying promises of the world, but the rich nourishment of the Gospel. Through that Word, you grow—not toward a salvation you must achieve, but into the salvation already given to you in Christ. God’s Law warns us against the empty calories of idolatry, which simply “does not satisfy” (Is 55:2). God’s Gospel offers the nourishment God has lavishly supplied in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

5.      You have tasted that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8; 1 Peter 2:3). calling to mind the Holy Supper and all God’s Means of Grace. In His Word, in His Supper, in His promises, you behold His loving face. Faith craves that Word over the empty and harmful food the world offers in its word and wisdom. A healthy newborn does not find nursing a chore. She lives for it. When Jesus told his disciples they must become like little children (Mt 18:2–3), he spoke of this absolute dependence on his grace.

6.      Just as an infant gazes at the mother who feeds her, so you are drawn to Christ, who feeds you with His grace. In fact, a newborn is nearsighted and can’t see very far away. But the distance from her mother’s chest to her face is just the right distance for the newborn to gaze upon her mother’s loving face. In a similar way, as the Church is nourished by “pure spiritual milk,” she is able to look upon the loving face of God in Christ.

7.      Second, from that nurturing love, you learn your identity as God’s chosen people. The world may not see it this way. Jesus Himself was “rejected by men” (1 Peter 2:4; Isaiah 53:3), and those who belong to Him share in that rejection. This can be seen in Jesus’ Passion and death on the cross. We see it in Stephen, the first martyr of the Early Church, who, even as he was being stoned to death, he bore witness to Christ and prayed for his enemies (Acts 7:59–60). The Church in every age faces misunderstanding, ridicule, and even hostility.

8.      The rejection of the world can make us question who we really are. But God’s Word speaks clearly: you are chosen and precious. Christ is the “living stone,” rejected by men but chosen and precious in the sight of God (1 Peter 2:4, 6; Psalm 118:22). And because you are joined to Him, you share in His status. Once you were “not a people,” but now you are God’s people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:10; Hosea 2:23). Whatever the world may say, God has spoken. And His Word stands forever.

9.      Finally, as God’s chosen people, you are also His priestly people. “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5). Notice that this is God’s work. He is building you together into His dwelling place. You are not isolated stones, but part of something greater—the Church, founded on Christ, the cornerstone (John 14:6; 1 Peter 2:6).

10.   As His priestly people, you have a purpose. Not to offer sacrifices for sin—that work is finished. Jesus offered Himself once for all (Hebrews 10:10), and from the cross He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30). But you are given to offer spiritual sacrifices: praise, thanksgiving, prayer, and witness. “That you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

11.   This priestly work is lived out both toward God and toward others. You praise Him for His grace. You intercede for others—even for those who oppose you, just as Stephen did. And you bear witness in your words and your deeds. As Peter says, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable… that they may see your good deeds and glorify God” (1 Peter 2:12). Your life becomes a testimony to the mercy you have received.

12.   Dear friends, you may not look like much in the eyes of the world. But in the eyes of your heavenly Father, you are His beloved children. You are newborn, nourished by His Word. You are chosen, precious in His sight. You are priests, called to proclaim His grace.

13.   All of this is yours because Christ is risen. He is the living stone, and you live in Him. And through you, He continues His work—calling others out of darkness into His marvelous light.

14.   As “elect exiles” (1 Pet 1:1), the Church will not enjoy an exalted status in the world’s eyes. But joined by baptismal grace to your resurrected Lord, you, his Church, have become his newborn, chosen, priestly people who glorify God and witness to his love for the world. Joining in his priestly work, you pray for the world and bear witness in word and deed to your risen Lord, whose love is working through his Church’s ministry, inviting the world to become with you his newborn, chosen, priestly people. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.

 

 

     

 

 

 

“Our Good Shepherd, More Than an Example” 1 Peter 2.19–25, Easter 4A April ‘26

 

“Our Good Shepherd, More Than an Example” 1 Peter 2.19–25, Easter 4A April ‘26

 

1.      Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word on this 4^th Sunday of Easter, also known as Good Shepherd Sunday, is taken from 1 Peter 2:19-25, it’s entitled, “Our Good Shepherd, More Than an Example” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.       Who do people look to today as examples of a good and meaningful life? Some look to leaders, others to athletes, innovators, or entertainers. Yet time and again, those examples disappoint. Even the best among them fall short, and often the standard they set feels far beyond our reach.  As we have so often discovered, those who look good in the public eye often are deeply flawed with their own moral failures. Do you really want to hold up as an example a successful business person who is convicted of embezzlement or a popular political figure whose life is marred by sexual unfaithfulness to his wife? There are no perfect examples! Second, even with the best of examples, those men and women whose lives do appear to be wholesome and without public defect, there’s a problem: they seem to set the bar so high that we can never measure up to it.

3.      Into that reality, the Word of God gives us something far better—not merely an example, but a Savior. In 1 Peter 2:19–25, the apostle points us to Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd, who is indeed our example in suffering—but so much more than an example. He is the One who suffered for us, died for us, and now lives for us.

4.      This Fourth Sunday of Easter, often called Good Shepherd Sunday, gathers together rich images of the Lord’s care. Psalm 23 reminds us, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” In John 10:1–10, Jesus declares Himself the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. And in Acts 2:42–47, we see the flock gathered, nourished by the Word, the fellowship, and the breaking of bread. All of this centers on the risen Christ, who has conquered death and now leads His people into life everlasting. As 1 Peter concludes, “You were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25).

5.      Peter writes to Christians who were suffering—not because they had done wrong, but precisely because they were striving to do what is right. He says, “If when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God” (1 Peter 2:20). This is the cross-shaped life to which Christians are called. It is not suffering for wrongdoing, which is expected, but suffering for righteousness’ sake. This kind of suffering can come through slander, rejection, or mistreatment simply because one belongs to Christ. It is the cost of following the Shepherd.

6.      And here is where we must be clear: before Jesus is our example, He is our Savior. He did not come merely to show us how to live. He came to rescue us. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). The suffering of Christ is not first a model to imitate—it is a sacrifice that saves. He, the sinless One, endured the cross for sinners. He was reviled, yet did not revile in return. He suffered, yet did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23). This is not only an example of endurance; it is the very work of redemption.

7.      The pre-Reformation equivalent to those WWJD bracelets that were popular a few years ago was an “imitation of Christ” piety that saw the essence of faith as living as Jesus lived. Salvation would be acquired by conforming oneself to the pattern of Christ’s perfect life. Over and against this approach, Martin Luther asserted that Jesus is first of all “gift” or “sacrament,” and only secondarily is he an example. Salvation by imitation would still leave us under the Law and in our sin. Luther noted that Jesus is our example not in order to attain to salvation, but in order to live as redeemed and regenerated children of God in this sinful world. 

8.      Only after we receive Christ as gift—as Savior—can we begin to see Him as example. Having been forgiven, restored, and made His own, we are now called to follow in His steps. That means bearing the cross in our own lives. It means enduring hardship without returning evil for evil. It means trusting God even when circumstances seem unjust or painful. As Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

9.      Our Good Shepherd is also the example of forgiveness—and again, much more than example. From the cross, in the midst of agony, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). This was not empty sentiment; it was the very purpose of His coming. He bore the sin of the world, including the sins of those who crucified Him, including our sins. In Him, there is full and free forgiveness. “By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

10.   Because He forgives us, we are set free to forgive others. We are no longer bound by bitterness or the need for revenge. Instead, we live as those who have died to sin and now live to righteousness. As we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” we do so not out of obligation alone, but out of the overflow of Christ’s mercy given to us.

11.   Finally, our Good Shepherd is the example of entrusting His life into the hands of the Father—and again, much more. On the cross, Jesus cried out, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46; Psalm 31:5). Even in suffering, even in death, He trusted His Father completely. And because He has gone before us—even through death—we can do the same. We entrust our lives, our struggles, our suffering, and even our dying into His hands.

12.   But here is the comfort: we are not simply imitating Jesus from a distance. We are held by Him. He is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. Nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:35–39). He who called us will sustain us. He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6). Even the crosses we bear are not meaningless—they are used by God for our good and for our salvation.

13.   So, dear friends, we give thanks that we have more than an example. We have a Good Shepherd. He has laid down His life for you. He has taken away your sin. He has called you by name and made you His own. And now He leads you—yes, even through valleys of the shadow of death and suffering—into life everlasting.

14.   Following Jesus, Our Good Shepherd, will not always be easy. There will be crosses. There will be trials. But there will also be His presence, His promises, and His peace. For the Shepherd who was slain now lives—and He holds you securely in His care. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.