Strangers and exiles...
Pilgrim People is a cyber version of sorts of the monthly newsletter of Christ URC. Launched in November of 2004, the hardcopy "Pilgrim People" has served as a means for educating our congregation with a range of articles on worship and theology, as well as making announcements and providing information about various church events. In November of 2007, however, the hardcopy newsletter was scaled down in size and a weblog was created. While I will always be a diehard devotee of real books and the printed page, a weblog just seems to make more sense in this case. One can log on whenever one likes, information can be disseminated far more quickly, and we can save $$ on printing.
If you are new to Pilgrim People, you might be wondering about the name. It has to do with 1 Peter 1.3-5: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
Let me explain...
This packed passage serves as the theme to Peter's whole epistle. At its core is the message that we, the church, are God's pilgrim people traveling through the wilderness of this present evil age to our heavenly home. Peter picks up on the Old Testament imagery of Israel, who were redeemed from the slavery and bondage of Egypt and traveled through the wilderness to the promised land. The nation Israel and the land of Canaan, however, were only temporary. There was something eternal and far more glorious to which God's elect have always looked, namely, the heavenly country of the new heavens and new earth.
This is what the writer to the Hebrews says that Abraham was anticipating: not so much the land of Canaan, "For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (Heb 11.10). In fact, this is what all of God's saints in the Old Covenant were anticipating, for "these all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth...they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one" (Heb 11.13-16).
While the promised land of Canaan was good and truly a blessing for the nation Israel, it was an inheritance that ultimately perished, became defiled with sin and idolatry, and faded away, just as Jesus predicted. The inheritance of which Peter speaks, however, is specifically described as "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading." It is reserved for us in heaven and we are being guarded and protected until we receive it.
How does this apply to us? It means that we are a people with hope, namely, a living hope. Just as certainly as God brought Israel to Canaan, so also will he bring all of his people to the glorious promised land of the new heavens and new earth. Just as certainly as Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, so also shall we be raised from the dead and enjoy this wonderful inheritance to which we have been appointed. Every day is to be lived in light of the glory of the age to come.
For this reason, Peter tells us that we have the blessed titles of "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession" (1 Pet 2.9a). As God's people, we are united to one another in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are one big family drawn "from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages" (Rev 7.9). So, as a family making our journey together, it is essential that we maintain our unity in the Gospel and care for one another as family members. It is my hope that, in a small way, this weblog will serve to that end (as did our monthly newsletter) and promote healthy congregational life. If you are a member of Christ URC, and you have announcements, news, or prayer requests that you would like made known to the congregation and posted on this blog, you are welcomed and encouraged to do so in order that we may continue to "rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep," and "live in harmony with one another" (Rom 12.15-16a). You may email me at michaelbrown@christurc.org with anything you would like posted.
These titles of "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession," however, bring other responsibilities as well. Peter points out the chief responsibility in the second half of 1 Peter 2.9: "that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." The greatest way that we can proclaim the excellencies of our Redeemer Lord is through our worship. As God's pilgrim people, we are to be a worshiping people.
To that end, this weblog will have a host of posts and short articles on worship, which will hopefully help us to understand better why we do what we do in worship, and why worship is so vital to the Christian life. But we will also have a variety of posts on covenant theology, book reviews, updates of classes offered at Christ URC, and an array of other topics to promote a healthy discussion of theology in this plotless, pointless, passing evil age.
As we press on as a congregation of God's pilgrim people, I continue to be excited and humbled to serve this church as pastor. I look forward to the years to come as we seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For Christ, his Gospel, and his Church,
Pastor Mike Brown