“With Something Special in Mind”

1 Peter 2:4-10

You all are strange and different.

Has anybody told you that lately?

I bet your first reaction to those words was:

“What does he mean by that?”

“I’m uncomfortable with being called strange, different.”

“I prefer to fit in… to be like everyone else.”

Well, what I mean is that you are not like everybody else.

By virtue of being in this particular church today,

You are part of a community that is itself unique

As a Christian community

and within the Christian community.

Here are some of the things that make us unique here at Covenant.

We believe that we are not earning our way into heaven.

That is the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and

The amazing grace that God offers in Christ.

We believe that being a community in Christ is more important

Than every little theological issue that comes along.

And yet we believe that theology is important…

how we understand God at work in the world is very important…

but not more important that people created in the image of God

and community, which is the Body of Christ, with all its parts,

and the Christ who commands us “to love each other”.

We believe that the grace of God is more powerful than any sin

That you or I might bring to the prayer of confession and

That the death of Jesus Christ is sufficient to atone

For those sins once and for all.

And the assurance of pardon really is true: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

We believe that even our coming here today to worship is inspired by

And motivated by the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

We approach mission and ministry with a sense of joy that reflects

Our thanksgiving for all that God has done in our lives

And our opportunity to meet Christ in our service

To and with each other…especially the least among us.

We are unique because we spend more time celebrating what went right

In worship and where we experienced God in worship than

We will spend complaining about our pet peeve in worship.

We are unique just by being part of this community in Christ’

at Covenant today.

But we’re not the first ones to hear those words.

The community that Peter was writing to in first Peter.

In the introduction of the letter Peter writes:

“Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Holy Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled by his blood: May grace and peace be yours in abundance.”

Right from the beginning Peter was telling them that they were unique.

That’s what the word “Sanctified” or “Holy” really means.

It doesn’t mean perfect or self righteous.

In fact it is the farthest thing from self righteousness.

Note that we are not sanctified by our own work

But we are “sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

We are not sanctified to do our own thing but

“To be obedient to Jesus Christ.”

When it comes to Holiness everything always references back to

The Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

What sanctified really means is “set apart”, “different” “special”.

And it’s not an accident. God has a purpose.

As Peter says “You have been chosen and destined by God.”

And that purpose is to be “like living stones…built into a spiritual house,

To be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices

acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Wow! That’s huge.

It’s like that picture we shared with the kids earlier.

Each one of us, as puny as we might feel,

As insecure as we might be,

and as insignificant as we might appear,

is an important part of God’s spiritual house

We are part of God’s church,

We are a part of the body of Christ,

the earthly expression of God’s kingdom.

Notice that Peter again references back to Christ as the cornerstone,

“The chosen, precious living stone”

on which all the rest of us “living stones” are sitting.

Without Christ we have no foundation.

The whole structure crumbles.

With Christ we become a wonderful expression

Of God’s spiritual home- the church-

“A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.”

Now this language was not intended to be used as exclusive language,

To set one group of people over another, although it has been used,

In that way to support slavery and destructive nationalism.

But it was not intended by Peter to be used by one people

To suppress or lord over another.

Rather it was intended to empower people who were oppressed

To realize there calling to be a holy and sanctified people

In obedience to the Christ who calls us to love and mercy.

Notice it goes on to say:

“Once you were no people, but now you are God’s people;

Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

You have been set apart to serve God.

You are different, you are unique, and that is good

Because God has a purpose

for the unique gifts and talents he has given you.

And that is the message for us today from First Peter.

Each one of us individually and our church as a whole

Is different from all the rest because God has called us.

We are called out of darkeness to light

to “proclaim God’s mighty acts.”

This past week God used us to comfort several families who were mourning.

It is difficult and exhausting to sit with each other in the face of death

And stand up against the fear of death and proclaim the promise

Of eternal life in Christ and his saving love- but we do it

Because God has called us and gifted us to.

In a time when many others speak words of condemnation for

People who are different than we are religiously or nationally

We have entered into conversation with the alien in our midst

Because we were once aliens and someone,

even Christ himself, befriended us.

In a time where people are constantly keeping score

of who has done the most and best work for the kingdom,

we try to focus on the variety of gifts within the body

and the way that all the parts work together to build up

the whole body of Christ and how each part is valued.

We are unique. Each of you is unique. We are different. Each is different.

We are holy. Each is holy. Set apart by God with something special in mind.