The Epistle
1 Peter 2:19-25
It is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
“He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
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Christ is the model for the sheep. He shows us how to live in the Kingdom. And as we live, he is the shepherd and guardian of our souls.
I love the translation that the Prayer Book uses which refers to Jesus as the shepherd and bishop of our souls. It makes me wonder as I look here at what word is used in the Greek. I suspect it might be overseer, from which comes the term, "Bishop."
This reading says something about righteous suffering; suffering experienced while doing right and thus not deserving suffering. This is a strange concept to us who are Christians living in America and in the remainder of the "First World" nations. Suffering is pretty foreign to us. And when it is spoken of in terms of suffering for faith, it is even more foreign. After all one of the fundamentals of our nation is freedom of religion. One could make the argument easily that other religions don't always have the same luxury of enjoying this blessing as do Christians in our land. Some conservative Christians would not agree with this to be sure. And yet there is some irony in observing that these ones who perceive some discrimination against Christians are often quick to wish to limit freedom of religious practice to only those Christians who are like-minded with them. They cannot accept diversity among the Body of Christ, the flock of the bishop and shepherd of our souls. Nor can they envision a flock belonging to Christ that the flock to which they belong don't recognize. And when confronted with others, they often become judgmental and wish to cause suffering for others. But I digress just a little.
The apostle in this epistle calls is to focus on the shepherd and bishop of our souls. No matter what our experience is, good or bad, accepted or rejected of others, we are called simply to be sheep who follow and are fed by the shepherd. We might not know much about suffering, but we can all bear to hear a call to faithfulness and commitment no matter what the cost.
Father Tim+
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