Armed and Ready

1 Peter 3:13-22New International Version (NIV)

13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

As I thought about this scripture, the graduating seniors were on my mind.  The reasons for this are many, but the three graduating seniors we are honoring today play a major part in it.  I look at a young man like Sawyer who plays on Friday nights with a reckless abandon.  Definitely not the biggest guy on the field but you will struggle to find someone on that field with a bigger heart.  I watched him on the field and again on film make plays that guys his size don’t typically make.  I have watched him wrestle with what most would call a disadvantage and not even bat an eye.  I have seen him drive a tractor with what I have to believe as blocks tied to his feet and sitting on phone books on his family’s farm.  I remember telling Griffin about Sawyer’s foot and seeing his look of amazement as he watched Sawyer play football and wrestle.  I hope Griffin remembers that kind of dedication and passion as he ages.

We have all had the privilege of watching Josie grow up before our eyes.  And as she continued to get older, her voice has become more prevalent and powerful.  When I first starting preaching here, I could sense the timidness and shyness in her voice but as I hear her sing at church and the many times I have heard her sing the National Anthem, I have seen that timidness and shyness fade away.  We have prayed for her and the pain she endures but to hear her sing now, you no longer sense the pain she still faces.  May we always remember to sing with that kind of passion no matter what we may be enduring.

And William... what is there to say about Will?  I remember my mom calling me to tell me about Will being in the hospital and all the issues he faced during his battle with an illness I cannot pronounce.  I have seen Will treat my children like little brothers and a sister.  However, I do get the impression he is much nicer to my kids than he is his actual brother and sister.  I have seen Will grow into more than an athlete.  I have had the privilege of seeing him grow into the role of a hero.  He may not know it for some time but that is exactly what he is to Griffin.  And he very well may be Cora’s first crush.  It’s hard for me to believe that this young man will have the opportunity to wear the black and gold but what he means to me and my children runs much deeper than that.  

That being said, I have a difficult time believing in coincidences... so as I read the lectionary for this week and came across this scripture from Peter that deals with suffering and giving glory to God despite that suffering, I knew it was meant to be.  You see, all three of these wonderful seniors who graduate in a few hours have all suffered from different things.  Much like we all do but these three have had to deal with that suffering at such a young age.  As I speak of them today, you cannot tell as they all have grown into some amazing young people.  They have grown into heroes in their own right and rightfully so.  When we see those we love suffering, we have so many questions and few answers, especially if they are young.  Not everyone who suffers comes out the other side like these three have.  This is due to their own perseverance, the support of their families and the encouragement of their support structure.  My hope is that we all look at the pain and suffering in our own lives in a way that helps each of us to “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”  

Finding that hope is not always easy and it’s difficult to imagine that we sometimes go through experiences in order to better understand faith... and life.  We have a difficult time not blaming God for what we endure but He is not the reason for our pain.  Instead, He is the absolute reason we are able to endure it.  He is the absolute reason we help others endure their pain.  The history and context of this scripture paints an ugly picture as it has been used to subdue and manipulate women, different cultures and ethnicities.  Peter was writing to a group of people who were genuinely being persecuted for their faith.  He was writing to people who were literally dying for what they believed.  This kind of persecution is lost on American Christians today.  We may have to endure some mud-slinging or negative comments but we have not feared for our lives based on our beliefs.  I am incredibly thankful for those men and women who serve this country so we do not have to live in the kind of fear that the Gentiles Peter was addressing had to live.  

While our circumstances are much different today, this doesn’t make our pain and suffering any less difficult to deal with.  It is inevitable that we will face tragedy and heartache at some point.  As believing Christians we aren’t exempt from those difficulties.  But we are given a gift.  A gift of hope through the resurrection of Christ.  With all the graduation parties we have attended over the past two weekends, my kids have enjoyed more cupcakes than they enjoy the rest of the year.  With the cupcakes comes a mess of frosting and crumbs scattered over what seems like a couple acres.  The routine is simple: they eat the cupcake, they make a mess and we use a baby wipe or napkin to wipe away the frosting and clean up the crumbs.  Within the comforts of our Christian faith in America, we often view faith as a baby wipe or napkin.  Simply wiping away the physical blemishes of sin.  Peter makes clear that a genuine faith is much more than that.  Baptism is “not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.”  We cannot simply wipe away what is visible to the outside world, we must allow God to work at the very center of who we are.  He must be incorporated into our entire being, not just the face we put on for the world to see.  We must allow God to work in our hearts, in our minds and in our souls.  He must be the center of our relationships, our families and our churches.  Personally, I lose sight of this every once and awhile and there is pain and suffering that follows.

What I'm about to say is not only advice to our graduating seniors, it is also advice to those seniors who have long been graduated: if you desire change that is real and true, it can only happen with Christ at the very center of it.  As we lift up this great group of amazing young people, may we all again take the pledge to work towards a clear conscience toward God.  And we can take that pledge no matter where we find ourselves on the spectrum of faith.  We must “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope we have. But do this with gentleness and respect....”  Suffering and pain are inevitable but so is God’s loving grace and mercy... if we are willing to share it.  May we all always be armed and ready to share the great news of Jesus Christ.