Sojourners and Exiles Rejoice
1 Peter 2:11-20
May 4, 2020 – Redeemer
Today’s sermon has a lot of words. Big surprise there. We’re going to meditate on some particular words of God given to Saint Peter for us.
The first word isn’t in the text, but is all over this 4th Sunday of Easter. Rejoice – that’s the name of the Sunday – Jubilate – it means “sing or shout for joy.” The Gospel reading is filled with joy from the mouth of Jesus. He said, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”
There are three Sunday in the church year called “Rejoice” Sunday, the Third Sunday in Advent, the Fourth Sunday in Lent, and the Fourth Sunday of Easter. And each Sunday has a different flavor of joy – in Advent our joy is expectant joy, in Lent our joy is joy in the midst of sorrow for our sins. And today is Jubilate Sunday – to be jubilant is to demonstrate your joy outwardly – singing joy, shouting joy. It’s the joy you’ll see on the faces of restaurant and pub owners when their businesses are open and their customers are back. It is a joy you can see and hear.
Joy does not mean happy. Joy endures suffering in the expectation of glory. Joy comforts us in our sinfulness. Joy gives us reason to sing at a deathbed, a graveside, and in the midst of a pandemic. Joy is not a personal emotion or fulfillment. Joy is Jesus, and having faith and trust in His atoning death and justifying resurrection. Joy firmly believes that our lot and life are tied to Jesus. Our sin is forgiven. We’re living forever and we’re going to rise from the dead as He most certainly did. What else is there to do but rejoice!
Peter doesn’t use the word joy in today’s Epistle reading, but he makes it clear that we Christians should make visible the joyful reality that is within us because of Christ. Peter doesn’t say, “Sing with joy” but the text could be titled, “Live with joy before the world.”
Beloved – that’s word number two on today’s word list. Peter says, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” Beloved. That’s what you are to God the Father through His Son Jesus. You know you are not lovely. You have done some ugly things – so ugly you wouldn’t want your parents or your wife and most certainly not your pastor to know about them. Your Father in heaven knows them all. He has seen them all. He wept over you and raged against your sin. God doesn’t hate the sin and love the sinner. He hates sin and the sinner. If you don’t think He hates the sinner why did Christ hang on the cross? Christ Jesus, true God and true man, died a sinner, the sinner for all sinners. God hates sin and the sinner, but by the death of His Son He makes the sinner lovely by loving him. So God the Father calls you beloved – not because you are lovely, but because He made you lovely by loving you in Christ.
Beloved, writes Peter, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” Here is Peter’s admonition to live out your joy. Because of Christ you are no longer what you once were. You were dead and now you are alive. You were sinful and unclean and now you are righteous and holy. You were decaying and now you are heading for the resurrection. You were enslaved to your own sinful passions and now you are a slave of the Most High God. The paradox is that being His slave sets you free – free from death, sin, the devil, a soiled and shamed conscience.
Our next words from the Holy Spirit through Peter are sojourners and exiles. These two words are very similar – sojourner means to “live beside the house” and exile means to “live beside the people.” A modern translation might be “live as homeless immigrants.” Here’s the thought. Our home is not this decaying, crumbling earth. Our treasure is not the vast amount of our possessions. This earth will be destroyed and made new in the resurrection. If Bill Gates, George Soros, and Donald Trump make the resurrection they’ll be living the same place you are – the new heaven and the new earth. We’ll all be equally rich with Christ in the resurrection. We are not slaves to our possessions and we are generous with our earthly treasures – because they are not ours. They are God’s gifts to us temporarily.
We should live as immigrants or exiles in this world. Peter (in a way) urges us to keep the customs of our homeland. Not to blend in. To speak our own language and dress in our unique clothing and to stand out as “not being ‘from here.’” What does that look like? The world wide language right now is hatred and lies. Our tongues should speak the truth in love. The world feeds the passions of the flesh. We know that apart from Christ the flesh avails for nothing. Our flesh has been saved, redeemed, cleansed by the blood of Christ, and is destined for the resurrection, therefore we take care of our bodies. We dress modestly because Christ has clothed our sinful bodies with His righteousness. We rejoice in male and female. We embrace marriage between one man and one woman. We abstain from sex outside of marriage, drinking to drunkenness, eating to gluttony. The food we desire is Christ’s body and the drink which satisfies us is Christ’s blood.
The last word of the sermon surprisingly is not Jesus. It is “good.” Last week we had the Good shepherd. This week Peter urges us to good deeds. “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” This particular word for good means “noble, beautiful.” Do you know what is noble? Loving your enemy. Forgiving those who sin against you. Not returning hurt with hate. Not just confessing Christ but being a little Christ – a Christian wherever God sends you.
You are a beloved child of God. You are free from sin and death. Peter urges you to use that freedom not as an excuse to sin – well, it doesn’t matter if I sin I’m forgiven. The person who says that is selling themselves back to the devil. No, we use our freedom to live as servants of living God. Honor everyone (even your enemy). Love the brotherhood (your congregation). Fear God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Honor the emperor – right now that’s President Trump and your governor – that’s Governor Walz. I urge you, beloved of God, rejoice! Live outwardly as sojourners and exiles. Do what is good, noble, and beautiful. In the name of Jesus. Amen.