Worship at Home – SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
PRAISE TO GOD FOR A LIVING HOPE
Good morning! As we begin, read slowly through this passage from 1 Peter 1: 3 – 9
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
It's worth just noticing how Peter begins this letter. There were difficult circumstances he had to address and there were impending assaults on the Gospel confronting those he was writing to, but before he does anything else, before he addresses those difficult circumstances, Peter begins with a blessing: ‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!’’
It’s a call to stand and praise God. It’s a call to bless God as it were. It spoke to distant and scattered people and it gathered them together in their praise of God as if they were all standing together before the very throne of God! And at a time like this, when we are somewhat scattered and distant and unable to meet and share our praise and worship, that’s a very good place for us to begin.
Why not stand and declare now the praise of God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Praise Him out aloud! Because when we do this, when we declare our praise of God, no matter where we are, no matter that we aren’t physically together, we are drawn together in His presence: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!’
Now, either read slowly through or maybe sing out aloud [!] these familiar words of praise, perhaps also remembering as you do, these words of Paul to the Corinthians: I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. (1 Corinthians 14: 15)
If you’re looking at this on a laptop, tablet or smart phone, try clicking the link for a performance of this hymn from the BBC ‘Songs of Praise’. It’s a real treat for any Welsh speakers!
Guide me, O my great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but you are mighty;
hold me with your powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me now and evermore,
feed me now and evermore.
Open now the crystal fountain,
whence the healing stream doth flow.
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
be Thou still my strength and shield,
be Thou still my strength and shield.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside.
Death of death, and hell's Destruction,
land me safe on Canaan's side.
Songs of praises, songs of praises
I will ever give to Thee,
I will ever give to Thee. William Williams
Where there is praise and blessing and worship of God, so too there will soon be encouragement. And that encouragement comes in this passage from 1 Peter with Peter’s reminder that we are rooted in God’s mercy: In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1: 3).
That mercy of Christ is our root and so the source of our ‘new birth’. Peter is echoing, I think, all that we read of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus in John 3. As Jesus taught Nicodemus, he said to him: ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again (John 3: 3). And of course, to experience that mercy and so to be ‘born again’ requires repentance. In other words, it requires from us a change of action and a change of mind. So, it requires from us a radical change of a sort that we cannot accomplish alone, it requires too the work of the Spirit. The Spirit brings about a new nature, a new creation. As Jesus explained to Nicodemus: the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.”( John 3: 6 – 7) So, let’s take a moment now to pray to the Lord in repentance inviting the Spirit to search us out and to help us to make that radical change.
In admitting the truth of our lives to our loving heavenly Father, we open ourselves to the experience of grace and healing. So, trusting in that divine love, let’s take a moment to pray, first in silence.
And then maybe, listening to this https://youtu.be/9Y8zP34AhuU
And now, say this prayer through very slowly, remembering that as we pray, we’re praying this together.
Jesus Christ, risen master and triumphant Lord,
we come to you in sorrow for our sins,
and confess to you our weakness and unbelief.
We have lived by our own strength,
and not by the power of your resurrection.
In your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.
We have lived by the light of our own eyes,
as faithless and not believing.
In your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.
We have lived for this world alone,
and doubted our home in heaven.
In your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.
May the God of love and power
forgive us and free us from our sins,
heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,
and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen
The effect of that new birth (of our repentance and turning to God and of the work of the Spirit in us) is to raise within our hearts, minds and souls ‘living hope’ that comes: ‘through the resurrection...from the dead’ (1 Peter 1: 3). It is a living hope that comes to us by its agent, the Lord Jesus Christ and that gives to us ‘an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade’, that is ‘kept in heaven’ for those who believe in Jesus. And for that, we should again praise God: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!’
So, read through [or again, please sing!] this favourite song of praise. And once again, if you’re looking at this on a tablet or laptop or smart phone, this link will take you to what I think is a really good version of this great song [there are a few words on screen to watch and think about before the singing begins]. https://youtu.be/CDdvReNKKuk
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
we have already come;
’Twas grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead us home.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see. John Newton
It’s very notable how Peter struggles in his letter to describe that inheritance that is kept in heaven for us. He can only do so in negative terms. It can never perish, spoil or fade! This is perhaps because the reality of the inheritance so far surpasses our ability to understand and appreciate it that it cannot be described in any way that we would understand; it is so unlike anything that we now know!
In Revelations chapter 5 the Apostle John sees a vision of our future home where no-one is worthy of taking the scrolls of God’s good plan for our inheritance and of bringing it to completion. John weeps at our unworthiness but then at last one does come forward. And it is none other than Jesus, who comes to the rescue of a perishing, spoiled, fading and unworthy world. He alone is pure. He alone has a spotless and undefiled character. And through him alone are we able to enter into God’s presence and receive an inheritance as glorious as that which Peter describes here as never perishing, spoiling or fading.
When we are at last reunited with Christ, on the final day, we will be restored, new and complete. This is the inheritance that awaits all who have faith and so are in Christ. And it is indeed glorious!
And reflection on that should bring us all joy: In all this you greatly rejoice writes Peter (1 Peter 1: 6) In truth, it isn’t so easy to be filled with joy and to rejoice greatly at this difficult time. The daily statistics of those who have lost their lives already are terrible. The fear that it may be affect those close to us is always present. The damage all of this is doing to the economy and so especially to the lives of the poorest and most disadvantaged in our communities is dreadful. Both here and across the world so many are suffering. When he wrote, Peter knew of suffering Christians but he wanted to assure them of their hope in the face of their trials. It is a message for them but it speaks to us too, reminding us that our hope in Christ points us beyond the present difficulties. The current troubles and difficulties will only last for a while; our hope in Christ is forever. And through it all our faith will be strengthened. This is a time like no other in collective living memory but we need to hold on in prayer, in commitment and to faith in the Lord. Because he alone is worthy of all our trust. He alone will see us through. He alone will be with us each and every day because he alone is our Saviour.
So, this is a time when we need to draw closer to Jesus and to draw everyone that we know closer to him as well, by prayer. For Peter, it seems, our present day sufferings can only serve to heighten our awareness of the separation we feel from the presence of Jesus and so strengthen our belief in him: Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1: 8 - 9) In short then, so great are all the benefits that we have in Christ that it is possible to pass joyfully through all times of testing by holding on in faith to Christ.
Before we have one final burst of that ‘inexpressible and glorious joy’ let’s take a moment to pray. You may want to pray in your own words, or you may want to use these prayers of intercession offered to us by the church as a framework to guide you in your prayers.
However you pray now, let’s pray together as we pray to the Lord, who is our refuge and stronghold.
For the health and well-being of our nation,
that all who are fearful and anxious
may be at peace and free from worry:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For the isolated and housebound,
that we may be alert to their needs,
and care for them in their vulnerability:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For our homes and families,
our schools and young people,
and all in any kind of need or distress:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For a blessing on our local community,
that our neighbourhoods may be places of trust and friendship,
where all are known and cared for:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
We commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray,
to the mercy and protection of God.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Faith in Jesus then brings us living hope. At the present we know an inexpressible joy even in the midst of all that is challenging, difficult and even threatening. It is joy that comes from the closeness of the risen Lord Jesus Christ in and through all that is going on at this time. And for the future, there is the prospect of a fuller realization of that joy as we see and experience the enjoyment of salvation.
All we can really say to that is: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
And so, to finish - read or sing. The choice is yours! Or maybe, try this link! https://youtu.be/wuLLcjDCKbg
He is Lord, he is Lord!
He is risen from the dead, and he is Lord!
Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord! Marvin Frey
And this is my prayer for us all:
O gracious and holy Father,
give us wisdom to perceive you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you,
eyes to behold you,
a heart to meditate upon you,
and a life to proclaim you,
through the power of the spirit
of Jesus Christ our Lord. St Benedict
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
With my love and prayers.
John