Focus: The Christian Church
navigates the waters of life as pilgrims on their way to the promised land.
Function: To encourage the congregation to live as Christian pilgrims, going through life focused, with purity of heart, a sense of detachment, and deep Christian love.
Text: I Peter 1:13-25
About 120 years ago, my wife’s great-grandparents left the Netherlands and set sail for the United States of America. They welcomed Lady Liberty in New York, and they landed at Ellis Island, from where they took a train to the heartland of America and found their destination in Minnesota and Iowa. In my view, my wife’s great-grandparents were frontier men and women, willing to make great sacrifices, and very persistent in getting to their destination. They were pilgrims determined to get to their “promised land.”
In 1972 I made a similar journey. My destination was Canada. I embarked on a Polish Oceanliner called the Stefan Batory. We left the harbor of Rotterdam early in May and ten days later we arrived at the Montreal harbour. The captain of the ship navigated the Oceanliner through relatively calm Atlantic waters. When I arrived in Canada, an aunt and uncle (along with some cousins) were waiting for me. They hosted me, helped me find work, and guided me quickly in becoming an established immigrant, living in Canada for about two to three years. Then I journeyed on to the U.S.A.
Compared with my wife’s forebears, I was not a frontier person. True, I was an immigrant, but I merely moved from one continent to another. They, however, made tremendous sacrifices and they were determined to get to their destination. I’ve barely begun to call this country my true home.
Now even though you may not have emigrated from one country to another, we do have something in common. We are all pilgrims. All Christians must navigate the waters of life; as members of the Christian church we must all chart a course through life; thus we all are on the way. Some of us are clear as to their destination; others have no clue. But we are all pilgrims. We are charting a course through life.
Let me explain: People who hear and believe the Easter message: “Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again,” are Christians on the move. We have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and God’s Spirit is gathering his people into one body, called the church of Christ. We are on the way. Here’s why:
a.
We have been born again: When the Spirit
of God enters our lives and calls forth faith within us in response to hearing
the good news of Jesus Christ, we experience rebirth. In chapter 1 verse 3
Peter writes: “In (God’s) great mercy he has given us new birth into a
living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an
inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you.”
This astonishing experience and new reality for every Christian comes about through the work of the Holy Spirit in response to the preaching of the Gospel. Peter emphasizes this truth when he says in v. 23 of the text: “…you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God…And this is the word that was preached to you.”
Having been born again, means that Christians are pilgrims—people on the way. I say that because the text tells us that our rebirth is INTO a living hope, and INTO an inheritance that is kept in heaven for us. The church of Christ is navigating a course through life while focusing on its eternal destination.
For example, in verse 13 Peter tells us that we shall receive a “grace” when Jesus Christ is revealed. That is, when the Lord Jesus comes again, he will open up for us our inheritance; he will welcome us home—literally! Today we are on the way to our final destiny—this restored creation. We are pilgrims, charting a course through life, because we are born again into this living hope. Here’s another reason why the Christian church is on the move:
b.
We are redeemed by the blood of Christ: Christians are no longer in bondage to a life of sin and
rebellion against God; rather, we have moved away from such a life. We are
redeemed. The Apostle Paul wrote (Col. 1:13) “(God) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into
the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of
sin.”
And the Apostle Peter tells us in the text: “…it was not with perishable things such as silver or
gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from
your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish
or defect.” Being
redeemed means that God has rescued us from a life of sin to a life of service
and love. And that means that Christians are on the move to claim their
inheritance. We are redeemed.
If you are a Christian, then here’s another reason why you should see
yourself as a pilgrim:
c.
God calls the
church to navigate the waters of life as pilgrims set free by the blood of
Christ: Listen to the
text: “…prepare your minds for action,
be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus
Christ is revealed.”
We are set free to serve the Lord, to
fully engage in spreading God’s influence and Word in our homes and circles of
family and friends.
In previous centuries, when there were no navigational
instruments for ships, sailors would navigate their boats by locating the North
Star. And they would use the North Star to get to their destination. Our “North
Star” as Christians is “the grace to
be given to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” We are free to serve and we must
set our compass of hope on the things that God will as yet reveal to us—our
inheritance. The restored, new heavens and new earth is our North Star by which
we sail our ship through life. Called to navigate a course through life,
members of the Christian church are Easter people.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now what does Easter navigation look
like for you and me today? What characteristics or course distinctives set
Christians apart as pilgrims? Peter mentions three:
1.
We must live pure
lives. Listen: “Do not conform to the evil desires you had when you
lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all
you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” Earlier, we learned that we are redeemed
by the precious blood of Jesus. He forgives our sins. Now we are to live clean,
pure, holy lives—lives that show the Spirit of God at work within us.
We can no longer live by the
drumbeat of evil desires—to rip off our neighbor, to take advantage of the
weak, or to deal unjustly with our neighbor or competitor. In our work and
leisure we live with purity. That means we do not subscribe to pornographic
materials; we resist and flee from sexual temptations; we do not make use of
illegal, mind-altering drugs; we do not conform to sexually immoral ways of
living. We seek to be pure; we live by the Spirit’s power and the Word of God.
And in that way, we learn to reflect God’s purity and holiness in all we do and
say. Purity is to be part of the Church’s identity; Purity is part of the
Christian pilgrimage or Easter navigation.
Here is another characteristic,
which sets the members of the Christian church apart as pilgrims:
2.
A Sense of
Detachment: Listen: “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work
impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.”
As I
grow older and realize more and more the shortness and frailty of human life, I
think I understand better what it means to live with a sense of detachment. As
pilgrims we may and ought to take hold of this life, this world, this career
and all that God has given us as stewards of his world. But I must do so with
detachment. I must always be willing to let go of things. As I do my living, I
must do so as a “stranger here in reverent fear.” That is, I must keep my eyes
on the inheritance that is to be revealed.
For example: you are looking at me
and you are giving me your ears, but behind me, in the distance, you see a
cross. As you focus on my message, you must always keep that cross on your
radar screen. In the context of living your life as a pilgrim that means that
yes, you may pursue a career, you may live your life to the fullest and with
deep attachment to all that brings joy, and satisfaction and wholeness.
But always live with a sense of detachment—with an eye on
the inheritance that is to be revealed when Jesus comes again. It’s not our money,
it’s not our career, it’s not our house or any of our possessions that
determines how we navigate our ship of life: It’s that cross behind me; it’s
that inheritance that is to come. Living with a sense of detachment means to “…set your hope fully on the grace to be given you
when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
Peter mentions one more
characteristic that marks members of Christ’s church as Christian pilgrims,
navigating through life:
3.
Live with deep Christian love: Listen: (v. 22b) “…love
one another deeply, from the heart.” The Lord Jesus summarized this characteristic when he said
that we must love God and our neighbor. Love is the fulfillment of God’s law. I
am still learning to love from the heart. There are days it comes easy, so it
seems; there are days I find it hard.
Today, we thank retiring elders and
deacons for their dedicated service these last three years; Today we also
install newly-elected elders and deacons. Together, they form the council and
leadership of Calvary Church. They must show us the way as we pilgrimage
through life, and navigate together this “ship” called “the church.” Together
we seek to lead people to a committed and growing relationship with Christ and
his church.
Today’s scripture shows us the way. Let’s navigate the
waters of our life as Easter Christians, as pilgrims on our way to the Promised
Land. Remember your Christian identity: We are born again, being made alive in
Christ. We are redeemed by the blood of Christ. We are set free to serve the
Lord wholeheartedly .
The course we chart as members of the Christian church is
marked by purity, a sense of detachment, and by deep or genuine love for Christ
and one another.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.