1. Peter 3,8-17 3423
4. Trinitatis 50
The Visitation of Mary (Historic Lectionary). W
Otto, Bishop of Bamberg Germany, † 1139
2. Juli 2023
1. ℣ O Yahweh, I will tell of Your Name to my brothers,
℟ In in the midst of the congregation I will praise You (Psalm 22,22).
O God, our Shield; give ear and hear our prayer, so that You deliver us from the evil foe. Amen. (Psalm 84,9.8 Gradual).
2. »Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, so that you may obtain a blessing. For Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil [Psalm 34,12]. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense [άπολογίαν] to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.«
3. The Apostle Peter tells us a truth we may not want to hear: we Christians will suffer on account of our faith in Christ. He then urges us to give a respectful defense of the Christian faith. The English translation is apology or defense (άπολογία). The meaning here is not to be sorry but to give a well reasoned reply and a well thought out response to address the issue at hand. From this we get the theological term apologetics which to give a defense of the Christian faith.
4. Jesus told His disciples that they would be persecuted and mocked for their faith in Him. »If the world hates you, then know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, then the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, then they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, then they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of My Name, because they do not know Him who sent Me« (John 15,18-21). All of the Apostles suffered trials and tribulations for preaching the gospel; they were arrested, beaten, threatened and killed by the Jewish and Roman authorities for preaching the gospel (Acts 4-8; 12; 21-28). All save John were martyred for their faith and proclamation. The Holy Innocents (28. December 4 bc) and Stephan (26. December ad 34/35) were the first martyrs. Many more would follow: Perpetua and Felicitas are two of them more well-known Early Church martyrs; they were martyred in Carthage, North Africa around 203. The Church still commemorates over 51 martyrs who died in the Diocletian persecution (302-11). Each martyr bore witness to the faith and testified to the truth of eternal life from Christ alone.
5. „The agreement was simple: if the Romans honored the gods with the proper sacrifices, then the gods would bless them and allow Rome to survive and prosper. The relationship with the gods was described in the expression “I give so that you give” (Do ut des). In other words, I give an offering to a god so that the god will give me something in return. From a Roman perspective, this is how it had always been, and this had always worked. The question was not, “Do you believe in Jupiter?” Or, “How is your personal relationship with Venus?” Those questions would not have made sense to them. The question was, “Do you honor the gods with the right sacrifices done the right way?” Failing to honor the gods was dangerous for everyone. This would anger the gods, and that could mean disaster for the Roman Empire. Whenever Rome suffered a major military defeat or natural disaster, the question was, “Which god did we offend, and how can we fix it?” The problem was not that Christians worshiped the God of Israel and Jesus Christ as Lord. The problem was that they refused to honor the Roman gods through offering sacrifices and participating in public festivals to honor those gods. The Romans believed in many different gods, so a person could worship God or any other gods of their choosing. They just had to keep honoring the traditional Roman gods as well.“ (Eastman 10).
6. This is the same attitude one finds in the 21. century. People usually are indifferent if your beliefs or opinions conflict with theirs. As long as you acknowledge them and hold their religion or opinion as equally relevant and important as yours, they are content. If you stay quiet and don’t criticize them, they are appeased. If you attend their events, parades and bow down to their false idols and ideologies, all will be well.
7. Christianity is a different sort of religion than that of ancient Greece, ancient Rome and modern America. Our faith influences our action. A Christian is set apart from the world. »Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one. You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might« (Deuteronomy 6,4-5). »You shall be holy, for I am holy« (Leviticus 11,44; 1. Peter 1,16). Jesus said: »You are not of the world, for I chose you out of the world« (John 15,19). Paul wrote: »Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect« (Romans 12,2). Be the salt and light to the world.
8. A Christian’s life is a life of άπολογία. The culture of the Church is not synonymous with the culture of the world or the culture of America. There may be some common points of agreement, but the world ought not influence the Church; the Church should influence the world. Nevertheless, the Church is comprised of sinful people, and sometimes sinful attitudes have held prominence in the Church. Thus the Church and Christians must diligently examine their life and culture with Holy Scripture. Where Scripture calls for amendment of life and culture, the Church and Christian ought to conform to the sanctification of the Scriptures.
9. Jesus taught His disciples: »You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven« (Matthew 5,13-14.16). To be the salt and light to the world is to bear witness of what we believe: Jesus is the Savior from sin and has paid the price to redeem the world. This is not always a message that is well-received or appreciated. Through the working of the Holy Spirit: the gospel creates faith, and faith produces good works. Worldly ideals that are contrary to the Scriptures need to be refuted, criticized and urged to conform to the will of God. Often this will evoke angst, mocking and hatred from the world. Salt stings when applied to a wound; light is uncomfortable to those living in the darkness.
10. The Church’s defense changed the Roman Empire. Confessing the faith, enduring persecution, loving the neighbor and calling for a Godly morality all transform Roman culture into some thing more attuned to God’s will for a happier and more harmonious society.
11. Stand firm in your faith in Christ. Love your neighbor. Repay evil with good. The Holy Spirit will work in you to strengthen your faith and works; He will work through you, countless Christians and the Church to guide the corrupt world back to a more loving and respectful society. But this is often a long distance race that calls for steadfastness and endurance. God is faithful and just (1. John 1,9).
12. »Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things« (Philippians 4,4-5.8).
13. God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path we pray. (Lift Every Voice and Sing lsb 964,3 2006 James Weldon Johnson 1871-1938).
This is most certainly true.
14. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.
15. Let us pray. O God, who hast made us heirs of all the victories of faith and joint heirs with Christ of Thy glory if so be that we suffer with Him, arm us with such trust in the truth that is invisible that we may ask no rest from its demands and have no fear in its service. Amen. (4. Trinitatis, Vespers Collect. The Daily Office.)
To God alone be the Glory
Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm
✠
All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Septuaginta, Vol. I and II 2. Revised Edition © 2006 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.
Evangelisch-Lutherisches Kirchengesangbuch. Copyright © 2021 Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche, Hannover.
The Daily Office. Copyright © 1965 Concordia Publishing House.
Eastman, David L. Early North African Christianity: Turning Points in the Development of the Church. Copyright © 2021 Baker Academic.
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