Becoming Holy - Part 1

Focus Scripture

1 Peter 1 : 15-25 (NRSV)

Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’

If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. For ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures for ever.’ That word is the good news that was announced to you.

Daily Byte

How do you feel about the word “holiness”? Peter suggests to his readers that we are to be holy as God is holy - a daunting thought! But as we have seen in this week’s chapter, holiness is not about obeying laws. It is about wholeness, compassion and hospitality. Once we have tasted God’s hospitality, compassion and the gift of wholeness that God offers, we embrace holiness with joy, finding it to be the path to freedom and abundant life, not a life-limiting legalism. And, as Peter explains, the only reason we can even imagine becoming people of wholeness, compassion and hospitality is because of the sacrificial work of Christ. What a wonderful gift Jesus has given us!

Where, in your life, do you feel less than whole? In what ways do you struggle to bring your thoughts, your words, your beliefs and actions together? To whom do you most struggle to show compassion? In what ways are you already offering hospitality to others, and where to you find it difficult to do this? Spend some time in silence reflecting on God’s whole-iness, and asking God to make you a little more holy each day. Think about how your discipline of worship can help you in this quest.

Pray As You Go

Sometimes it feels like it doesn’t really matter, God,
if we ignore the needs of our spouse,
or shout at the kids unnecessarily,
or elaborate on the truth just a little, so we look better,
or waste the resources of our world so generously given;
sometimes it just feels silly to worry about making things beautiful,
to keep reaching for the best of the good, and not just the easy,
to stay true to what is true.
What difference does it really make, in the big scheme of things, if we just take the easy way,
the not-bad-but-could-be-better way?

And then we go to worship, and we remember.
You do not change to accommodate our good-enoughness, our that’ll-do-ness;
You do not darken the sun just a little, so we won’t feel so dull, or switch off some of the stars to keep us from feeling small.

You are holy - whole-y - one and complete and God;
You are Light and Life and Love and Fullness -
You can be no other;
You are Beauty and Goodness and Truth - brilliant and dazzling;
And it is we who must change, we who gather to worship,
it is we who must choose to gaze on your holiness and beauty, and be changed into glory.
And, so here we are, God. Please show us yourself. Amen.