To start the year, we are studying Peter’s first letter by beginning with I Peter 1:1-2. In each section, we will see how he describes the people of God. In his greeting, Peter calls Christians “elect exiles,” which is a curious expression that mixes something positive (elect, chosen, selected) with something negative (exiles, driven out, rejected). As it turns out, God’s election makes his people exiles in this world, and Peter reminds us that it is our call to live our lives as those who are in the world but not of the world.
One of the most difficult parables to interpret is in Luke 16:1-17, which relates the underhanded dealings of a dishonest manager who got fired...
Although some adults tried to keep children away from Jesus, he welcomed them in Mark 10:13-16 as models of how to enter the kingdom...
Paul faced false accusations, a physical beating, a near flogging, and an unfair hearing, through which he took courage in the presence of Christ...