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PETER'S EULOGY!
      Let me remind you that the recipients of Peter's first letter were in serious trouble.  As believers they found themselves at odds with the Roman empire, the city or village in which they lived, their place of employment, and their neighbors.  For their failure, their refusal, to worship the gods of their culture was a perceptible mark of disloyalty.
      Moreover, they lived north of the Taurus mountain range.  Geographically, this meant they lived north of the heavily traveled trade routes.  It also meant they lived well-north of the informational highway.  So in the isolated world in which they lived it is easy to imagine that they were beginning to doubt not only their true identity, but the worth of their true identity.
      Being knowledgeable of their plight, Peter greeted them with words normally applied to the nation of Israel.   He reminded them, or perhaps informed them, that they had been chosen by God through the work of the Spirit.  He disclosed that the Spirit was already at work in their lives purifying them, through obedience, and  revealed that they were set apart for the work of the kingdom.
        So, despite the fact that they were living on the outskirts of the kingdom they had neither been forgotten nor set aside.  God had stooped down into their world and had chosen them as a people for himself.  And in choosing them he had placed his Spirit within them to not only keep them obedient to Jesus, but to empower them to serve their community, their neighbors, and each other.
      In light of his opening remarks, in light of where his mind is at the moment, Peter continued by eulogizing God.  Eulogizing God?  I know what you're thinking - eulogies are only for those who have past away.   But to eulogize someone is to simply speak well of them, whether they are dead or alive.
      I am not simply coming us with a clever transition into the next paragraph or two.  The Greek word translated "praise" or "blessed" at the beginning of v. 3 is eulogetos, from eulogeo.  We get our English word "eulogize" from this word which literally means to speak well of someone.  Hence, in vv. 3 - 9, Peter eulogizes God by saying,    
      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-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 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 your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor 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 goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
      At this time of year we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  We send and receive Christmas cards announcing once again what angels announced to shepherds two-thousand years ago.  We rejoice in the light that has come into our dark world by putting up lights.   We sing Christmas carols that focus on Bethlehem, angels, shepherds, Mary, and the baby laying in a manger.  Then, to top things off, to defend ourselves against the culture in which we live, we counter commercialism by saying, "Jesus is the reason for the season."
      But that is not quite accurate.  Yes, it's a great time of year, a time when we joyfully and rightly celebrate the birth of Jesus.  But Peter gives us the reason for the season when he reminds us that one reason for blessing God is that he is the "God and  Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."  After all, it is God the Father who initiated this glorious plan of salvation as wrapped up for us in the baby Jesus.
      In a similar prayer, found in Luke 1:68,  Zechariah, said,
      "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people."1
      In regards to thanksgiving let me share a few quotes with you that are in keeping with this passage as well as the season.  The first is from G. K. Chesterton.  We read:
"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
      The second is from Elie Wiesel.  We read:
"No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the kingdom of the night."
        So Peter begins his eulogy by giving thanks for the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He continues with a number of reasons as to why God is worthy of our praise.  First, in his great mercy God has given you and me new birth into a living hope. 
      This is one of those verses where those who have indeed been reborn find their name in Scripture.  For where we see the phrase "he has given us new birth" we can rightly paraphrase it to read "he has given me (or insert your name) new birth".   Whatever else this means it certainly means that when we came to know Christ a change so radical took place that the only thing that can be said about it is that a new life began for us.  Furthermore, it is not something we achieved on our own anymore than we achieved our physical birth through self-effort.  It was, and is, the work of the Spirit within us.
      As a result of this work within us there is hope for the future.  This primary characteristic of Christians is a result of two things.  A)  We have been born again not as a result of corruptible seed but of incorruptible seed (See 1:23).  We have the very seed of God within us and therefore we have a life that can't be destroyed by this world or the next one.  B) Our hope is firmly grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is perhaps for this reason that it is referred to as a living hope.  Because he lives, and because we are in him and he is in us, we too will live to enjoy life beyond the grave.
      This idea of rebirth was undoubtedly a helpful one for the original recipients of the letter.  For in their day, as ours, pagan religions brought about rebirth through instruction and/or through some rite of passage.  This meant that if anyone tried to tell them that they needed to get off to a fresh start with life they had a good answer for them - just as we have a good answer for anyone who suggest to us the need for a new beginning.2
      A second reason for blessing God is that he has stored up for us an inheritance.  Again this would have meant a great deal to the original recipients as it does to us.  For an inheritance shows that someone thinks a great deal about us.  They think enough about us to include us in their will.  But, as you and I know, there are four problems with having an inheritance that is simply on paper.
      First, the one who made the will can change the will.  I mean maybe our would-be benefactor changes his or her mind and strikes us from the will.  Maybe they  become mentally unstable and start doing some crazy things or maybe someone cons them into changing the will.  Or maybe we do something that prompts them to take us out of the will.  Trust me, that is a real possibility given human nature.  But, in regards to changing the divine will it all depends on God's nature.
      Is God going to become mentally unstable?  Is God's steadfast love for those whom he has called going to waver?  I don't think so!  So in regards to God's will for us, even his written will, we can relax.  Our names are part of his will and they are not going to be removed because God never gets out of the wrong side of the bed!
      The second problem with having an inheritance on paper is that by the time we actually receive it, it may not be worth receiving.  That is not the problem here for Peter uses three word pictures to describe our inheritance.  It is imperishable, it cannot be destroyed.  Nor can it spoil.  That is, it cannot be defiled by impurities.  It will hold its value forever and ever.  And it is unfading.  Flowers fade and new cars become used cars, but the inheritance in store for us will never fade.
      The third problem with an inheritance is that we need to live long enough to receive it.  I mean I have aunts and uncles and I'm sure I'm in their will because I'm their favorite nephew.  But I just turned 65 and I don't know if I am going to live long enough to receive what I hope to inherit from them.  And if I do live long enough to inherit it from them a new question pops up.  Will my health allow me to enjoy the received wealth?
      I don't know what will happen in regards to my aunts and uncles and if the truth be known I would be surprised if I were in someone's will.  But, in regards to what God has promised me I'm not concerned about living long enough.  I know that he has given me eternal life and one fine day I will inherit whatever he has in store for me and my health will be such that I will be able to fully enjoy it forever and ever.
      Furthermore, in this eulogy Peter praises God for we are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last days.  In other words, in spite of the tribulations we face everyday we are kept safe by God.  We are like a fort which is garrisoned to keep it safe from enemy attacks.  God, who does not sleep, nor does he slumber, will protect us from the evil one.  And part of that protection is our faith which quenches the fiery darts of Satan.3   
      We now come to the fourth problem which is a real problem.  In order to receive an inheritance from somebody that "somebody" has to die.  In regards to earthly wills this is no problem as death tends to come to everyone.  We might think about hastening it but we have little concern as to whether or not it will happen.  Of course, Elijah's kids were left in the position of not knowing what happened to their father.  But, that's another story.  The immediate problem that we have is how are we going to inherit what God is keeping for us unless our Heavenly Father dies?
      In God's gracious timing this week, he reminded me of a passage that speaks to this very issue.  It's found in Hebrews 9:11 - 28.  We'll read enough of the passage to be reminded afresh that problem # 4 is addressed by God the Father through Christ.  We read:
      When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.  12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.  13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.  14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
      For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
      In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,  17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.  18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.  When Moses . . .
Then dropping down to vv. 27 - 28 we read:
27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,  28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
      Get the picture?  There is a new covenant; a new arrangement!  It has been put into effect by the blood of Christ Jesus.  He died so that we could enjoy peace with God, with each other, and ourselves.  Receiving an inheritance is a costly thing - for it involves the death of someone and it is normally someone we would rather not see die.  But for our sake, Christ joyfully walked toward the cross and died for us.4
      We began this lesson by rethinking Christmas.  I wish to end it the same way.  At this time of year we are bombarded by advertisements that encourage us to think of all sorts of merchandise - including jewelry.  In fact, I will probably stop by my favorite jewelry store to see their new location and see whether or not they have anything Linda might enjoy wearing.
      But the joy of gold, like gold itself, will fade and perish.  Faith, on the other hand, is more valuable for it endures and guarantees a joyful life not found in any store, not even a jewelry store.  It is found in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

1       Zechariah - as in the husband of Elizabeth and the father of John the Baptist.  Here he is praising God for his own son which was a miracle within itself.  After all, at the time, he was an old man and his wife was well along in years (See Luke 1:18).
2      In our day someone's quest for a new beginning may take the form of the emptying of the mind through transcendental meditation.
3     Jude underlines this point in his doxology.  Verse 24 of his postcard reads:  To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-  25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
4       Someone has said, "For the Christian, judgment is behind us - at the foot of the cross.  For the non-Christian it is ahead of them."

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