Pilgrims and Priests in 1 Peter 

Trevor introduces our preaching series for January to March 2024

From early November, I’ve noticed a flurry of stories on news websites which have struck me as a telling indicator of how our society has changed in recent years. Each article was linked by the same theme, the release of television adverts by major retailers ahead of Christmas. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to these expensively produced films, which are now given huge attention by a media that seems to regard them as cultural landmarks. John Lewis is seen as the company which has pioneered the development of these short films, but this year the advert which created most conversation was that produced by Marks & Spencer.

Entitled, ‘Love Thismas not Thatmas’, the ad featured a number of celebrities throwing away games, party hats and Christmas cards. The message seemed to be that we should no longer spend the season working hard to fulfil the expectations of others, but instead focus on what we enjoy and putting ourselves first. One critic, the educationalist Katharine Birbalsingh, claimed that the advert ‘puts two fingers up’ to traditional Christmas values. She went onto comment that it went against ‘the inspirational spirit of Christmas of self-sacrifice, gratitude, giving of one’s time’.

Compared to the major crises erupting in our world, this story seems like the proverbial storm-in-a-teacup. However, it also struck me as another indicator of how attitudes in our society have changed in recent years. What’s particularly interesting is not the unashamed egocentrism of the advert itself, but the fact that its critic spoke not of a traditional Christian understanding of Christmas but rather a vague set of ideas centred on helping others. Even those defending a traditional Christmas seem to have lost sight of what it’s actually about.

This will come as no surprise to those of us who have observed the decreasing significance and influence of Christianity in our popular culture. As long ago as 2004, the British writer Stuart Murray coined the term ‘Post-Christendom’ to describe the ‘strange new world’ that was emerging. He describes a number of changes that have defined this transition:

? ‘In Christendom Christians felt at home in a culture shaped by their story, but in post-Christendom we are aliens, exiles and pilgrims in a culture where we no longer feel at home.’
? ‘In Christendom Christians enjoyed many privileges, but in post-Christendom we are one community about many in a plural society.’
? ‘In Christendom churches could exert control over society, but in post-Christendom we exercise influence only through witnessing to our story and its implications.’ ¹

I expect that many of us will nod along as we read this list. Like the Jewish exiles who found themselves relocated to Babylon, we find ourselves in a different place and operating to different rules. Among the many questions this raises, one is key: how are we to share the story of Jesus with confidence in this new world?

From January to March 2024, we’ll seek to answer this question by way of a series of sermons on 1 Peter, a letter that could be thought of as an ideal text to enable reflection on the task and context facing the contemporary church. Twice in the early chapters of the letter, Peter describes the identity of the early Christians as that of outsiders (1:17: ‘live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear’; 2:11: ‘I urge you, as foreigners and exiles’). This letter was written to churches that were numerically small and with little power or prestige, a situation not dissimilar to our own. It is important to note, however, that the concept of Christians as outsiders to their culture is not a wholly negative one for Peter. He also urges his readers to have their identity rooted in their ‘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’ (1:3–4).

The second important term which Peter uses to describe the church is priests. In 2:5 he writes, ‘you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ’; and in 2:9 he goes on to say that, ‘you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light’. Just as the priests of Israel were set aside to represent the people before God and represent God to the people, so the church is now called to play a mediating role between God and others, offering God praise, pointing people to his glory and demonstrating what life looks like in his kingdom.

Stefan Paas, a Dutch writer on mission, notes that, ‘While the metaphor of pilgrimhood highlights the rediscovery of the essential alien and marginalised nature of the Christian community in the world, the priesthood image helps us understand its missional calling.’ ² My hope is that these two images will be helpful to us as we try to understand how we can have more confidence in God, understand more his calling on our lives and feel inspired about the need to ‘live … good lives among the pagans’ (2:12) and to ‘be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have’ (3:15).

The table on the below provides more details on texts and themes from January to March.

Alongside these Sunday sermons, our home groups will be studying Story Bearer, by Phil Knox, an accessible book which helps us think about the connection between sharing God’s story and our own, and how we can be more confident in telling others of the difference God has made to us.

For more information on these groups please speak with me or our home groups deacon, Mark Ridgway. 

¹ Stuart Murray, Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World, 2004, p20
² Stefan Paas, Pilgrims and Priests: Christian Mission in a Post-Christian Society, 2019, p174