Our scripture this morning is 1 Peter 1:20-25.
He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.
Peter, the rough and often impulsive disciple, has become a leader and a gentle teacher. Jesus forgave Peter’s failures and called him to feed His sheep (John 21:15-19), appointing him to care for the new Christian community. In this passage Peter reminds us that mortal life is temporary but “the word of the Lord endures forever” (v. 25).
Like Peter, we have all done things for which we are sorry, and we know we can go to Jesus, asking forgiveness and healing. Jesus restores us and teaches us to follow in His path. Our sins are forgotten when we repent and return to the Lord (Hebrews 8:12).
We are reminded that we have been born again in Jesus (v. 23) and washed clean by His sacrifice for us. Now in renewed relationship with God through Christ, we are called to feed His sheep as the disciples of today. May we go in His strength to share the Good News everywhere.
Loving Lord, we are sorry for our disobedience and pursuit of earthly things. Help us to use the gifts You have blessed us with for the good of all Your children. Amen.