Tomorrow we have a special gift to our mother’s! Our children will present an important “thank God for mom” gift! So bring mom to church!

In the message we are going to consider our lives in the face of unjust suffering. This will not be a pep talk or a 12-step program on how to endure, no. Rather, we will delve into 1st Peter chapter 2 and see how endurance is a grace-gift flowing from the Gospel of Christ, keeping us in the One who endured unjust suffering out of His fantastic love and mercy for you and me! “This [Endurance] Is A Gracious Thing!” and what is perhaps most exciting is that going through unjust suffering is not — contrary to popular opinion — a sign of the Lord’s abandonment, but — much to the contrary — a sign of the Lord’s abiding presence! No one can stand like those held up by Jesus!

The Sunday School children are doing a special Sunday School painting project, so we ask that they would come to church in old clothes (just in case paint gets on their clothes)!

Today’s Catechism Convocation was a blessing and I’m proud of the Saint Paul’s contingent that came out. May the Lord continue to bless this ministry that celebrates our confessional witness. Saint Paul members who attended were Linda Seward, Loren Kellogg, Mark Kuntz, Mei Kuntz, Bill Frank, Ali Frank, Ray Hullet, Aubrey Hullet, Pastor Espinosa, Traci Espinosa, Christina Espinosa, David Espinosa, Esbeydi Espinosa, Bryan Espinosa, and Katherine Espinosa.

I am attaching the Power Point that we shared with the youth.

We hope to see you in God’s house tomorrow, joyful to receive the Word and Sacrament of Jesus, keeping your sins covered by the blood of Christ and strengthening you to continue to walk in the light of Christ!

Here is an excerpt from tomorrow’s sermon:

“This Is A Gracious Thing” (1^st Peter 2:19-25)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen! [wait for response: “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”], so why – since Christ is risen – do we Christians continue to suffer in so many unjust ways? Doesn’t it stand to reason that if Christ is risen, victorious over death and the grave, that He would intervene to relieve us [those who trust in Him and who follow Him] of our unjust suffering? Where is the Risen Christ when I need Him in the face of being mistreated? Indeed, isn’t this the reason why so many former Christians are former Christians? And isn’t this the reason why we are tempted to turn away as well?

 

The Word of God teaches us differently — correcting our sinful skepticism which resides in our sinful nature — in today’s epistle from 1^st Peter 2:19-20: “¹⁹This is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.”

            First of all we should be conscientious about the context of what St. Peter was addressing precisely: Peter was writing to house-slaves who belonged to Roman Empire families. “There were many slaves throughout the empire, and when Christianity was preached to them, many slaves were converted to it.” (Lenski, The Interpretation of 1 and II Epistles of Peter, the three Epistles of John, and the Epistle of Jude, 114) Unfortunately for these house-slaves, they “were being pummeled by their irate masters, the only offense of the [house-slaves] being that they lived Christ-like lives which were used of the Holy Spirit to convict [their masters] of [their] sin.” (Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, Volume II, 65)

So yes, St. Peter was addressing Christian house-slaves in the first century in the Roman Empire, but taken in the context of Scripture, St. Peter is only echoing the words of Jesus spoken to all believers and yet we will be able to come back to St. Peter and realize the richness of his words from God. But again, our Lord spoke similarly as recorded in the Gospels:

Matthew 5:10-12: “¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Jesus also taught as recorded in Luke 6:27ff: “²⁷Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. ²⁹To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either….³⁵But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”

And in 1^st Peter chapter 2 we learn more about this grace that is given to us. It is easy to go along with the popular idea that God is setting up a transaction: endure bad things without complaining and I’ll give you a reward. This understanding falls short, especially since this section of God’s Word is anchored to the heart of the Gospel! This endurance of the Christian is bound to the rest of what St. Peter records: “²¹For to this [endurance in the midst of unjust suffering] you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. ²²When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. ²⁶For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

The Lord through His Gospel/Wonderful Good News that He has saved us from our sins and our death has called you to live in faith no matter what…and especially when you are caused to suffer…and especially when that cause is unjust; when it is wrong; when you shouldn’t have to! Why would God do this?

Precisely dear Christians because such a life demonstrates NOT that the Risen Jesus is not here, but exactly the opposite: that the Risen Jesus IS HERE. There would be no endurance in the face of unjust suffering, if Jesus Himself were not upholding you keeping you – by His grace – following Him when every atom of your being wants to run and hide in the opposite direction. This is a gracious thing that the Lord empowers us to endure; this is God’s gracious work when we can stand and not only is our faith refined (to trust in God alone), but the Lord then permits an astounding testimony to take place.

Eusebius of Caesarea who wrote in the 4^th century A.D. (the 300’s) – 1700 years ago – was a Christian historian who also wrote about the martyrs (Christians who gave their lives for the faith). In Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History he writes about “The holy martyrs….endured tortures, beyond all description; Satan striving with all his power, that some blasphemy might be uttered by them. Most violently did the collective madness of the mob, the governor and the soldiers rage….Against [a Christian woman named] Blandina, also, in whom Christ made manifest, that the things that appear mean and deformed and contemptible among men, are esteemed of great glory with God, on account of love to him, which is really and powerfully displayed, and glories not in mere appearance….Blandina was filled with such power, that her ingenious tormentors who relieved and succeeded each other from morning till night, confessed that they were overcome, and had nothing more that they could inflict upon her. Only amazed that she still continued to breathe after her whole body was torn asunder and pierced, they gave their testimony that one single kind of the torture inflicted was of itself sufficient to destroy life, without resorting to so many and such excruciating sufferings as these. But this blessed saint, as a noble wrestler, in the midst of her confession itself renewed her strength, and to repeat, ‘I am a Christian, no wickedness is carried on by us,’ was to her rest, refreshment and relief from pain.” (Cruse, tr., Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, Hendrickson, 1998, 150)

In Jesus’ Love,

Rev. Alfonso O. Espinosa, Ph.D.