Climbing the Mountains

1 Peter 3:13-22

Who will harm you if you are zealous for good? 14 But happy are you, even if you suffer because of righteousness! Don’t be terrified or upset by them.15 Instead, regard Christ the Lord as holy in your hearts. Whenever anyone asks you to speak of your hope, be ready to defend it. 16 Yet do this with respectful humility, maintaining a good conscience. Act in this way so that those who malign your good lifestyle in Christ may be ashamed when they slander you. 17 It is better to suffer for doing good (if this could possibly be God’s will) than for doing evil.

18 Christ himself suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous. He did this in order to bring you into the presence of God. Christ was put to death as a human, but made alive by the Spirit. 19 And it was by the Spirit that he went to preach to the spirits in prison. 20 In the past, these spirits were disobedient—when God patiently waited during the time of Noah. Noah built an ark in which a few (that is, eight) lives were rescued through water. 21 Baptism is like that. It saves you now—not because it removes dirt from your body but because it is the mark of a good conscience toward God. Your salvation comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at God’s right side. Now that he has gone into heaven, he rules over all angels, authorities, and powers.

Reflection

Why is it so hard to do the right thing? So often, the right choice – the one which leads to a life of integrity where we discover and become who God calls us to be – is the more difficult choice, the one which comes with sacrifice and challenge, which requires something from us.

Question

• How does a faith which sees itself outside of and/or apart from mainstream society behave differently?

• I wonder what the most authentically faith-filled response is when we are sick or in trouble?

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, help us to pray when we’re in trouble, when we’re happy, when we’re sick, and when we’ve sinned. Give us courage to say “I’m sorry” when we’ve done something wrong. Thank you for listening and for making things happen through prayers. Amen.