N. T. Wright concludes his essay on this Sunday’s pericope by saying, ”If we find it hard to keep up with the bewildering range of scriptural references which Peter is pouring into the letter at this point, that what it was like for ex-pagan converts in rural Turkey in the first century.”[1] It is not exactly helpful for a preacher who expected to give her people a “takeaway.” It is helpful, however, for an entry into this passage because preachers can warn their congregations that they are...

Culturally speaking, suffering seems to be the greatest evil. Our world is full of escapes and analgesic drugs, both legal and illegal. For some, too, religion is an opiate or an escape. Most of us do not want to suffer. And yet in this week’s passage Peter calls the dispersed Christians to endure unjust suffering. After all, Jesus’ example for us was one of unjust suffering. Peter says, “ ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ 23When he was abused, he did not...

When is the last time that you preached on the ascension? I do not have the data to back it up, but my guess is most Christians do not often think of the ascension when they think of Jesus. This statement probably applies to theologians and preachers as well. In protestant circles the greatest emphasis has been placed on Jesus’ crucifixion. Sure people know a lot about the birth narrative, but it has primarily become a story about nostalgia rather than a revolutionary tale of the birth of a...