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Morning Devotion for the Season After Pentecost

September 18, 2023

Dag Hammarskjold

The Invitatory

The mercy of the Lord is everlasting: O come, let us adore him.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

Reading: 1 Peter 2:19-23

For it is to your credit if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, where is the credit in 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.

Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones

“For It is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly.”

Is this a tall order? Yes, but …..I must say it was jarring to read this question and then alerted to being aware of God. Before considering what consequences might ensue, I would venture to say that this is not a 24 hour, seven days a week activity for most of us. How many of us are aware of God? Some of us have knowledge of God and perhaps slightly fewer are conscious of God. Let me raise the bar a bit. How many are informed about God, knowledgeable about Gad, and now here’s the highest bar - sophisticated with respect to God? 

Allowing for the possibility that this opening line calls us to be mindful of being in God’s presence, then, perhaps this is not as challenging as you might think. The truth is that for most of us living in the United States and being “aware of God,” we are less likely to experience suffering. as a consequence. Suffering, abuse, threats of physical violence are no longer barriers to the life of an avowed Christian that many of us will face.

The greatest threat to the Christianity is indifference. While it may appear that Christians have become secure, this does not suggest that physical danger and/or persecution serve as desirable means to enhance our profile. But does the current state of affairs, at least in our culture, render this text almost irrelevant?

As a result of the resurrection we have radically different values and priorities and a new eschatological orientation that places us in more contact and conflict with the world rather than removed from it. Perhaps we unconsciously possess a discernment and ability to endure unjust suffering as a result. Although converts’ social circumstances may not change, their consciousness of God changes their perception of their situation.

What pleases God will not always please others who may be in authority. Suffering and endurance have no value in and of themselves. Getting one’s “just desserts” has nothing to do with being Christian. Suffering unjustly for doing right by God, however, is Christian in character.

Resistance to sin and enduring trust in God are only possible because of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. Although neither the disciples nor we are capable of emulating Christ’s suffering when he bore our sins on the cross,” his atoning activity enables us to bear the wrongs done against us in ways that please God, if not those with political and socio-economic power over us. Moreover, we are saved from the degradation that the suffering was intended to impose on us.

Coping with unjust suffering continues to remain troublesome for some. The passage does not question the legitimacy of whatever political or economic structure that degrades human beings and causes suffering. What is offered is the encouragement and strength required to offer our gifts, notwithstanding the situational difficulties, to honor God. The substance of our response is reflected in the integrity of our actions and our awareness of God who will have the last word in judging justly.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.