Scripture

1 Peter 2:10-12 NLT

“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

Consider

If you’ve been watching the news, you will have seen the horrific videos of rioting and destruction that followed the recent police shooting of a young black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Hundreds of people poured in from neighboring counties and states to join local residents in their protest. Angry occupation of the streets shortly escalated to mob violence and destruction of local businesses, churches, and public buildings, some of them dating back more than a century. Two more people were killed. Armed troops were finally deployed and curfews imposed to quell the violence and protect the city.

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that I recently moved to Wisconsin, but you might not know that Kenosha is my new home community. COVID restrictions have made it difficult to establish myself as a resident and citizen of this new territory; I am still a stranger among neighbors who wear masks and keep their distance from me. Even more isolating, however, has been the horror and helplessness of this past week as I watched videos of downtown burning, heard sirens screaming by on the boulevards, and woke up to the news of more misery and destruction on the very edges of my neighborhood.

Standing witness to such evil unleashed on the community I’m trying to call home gives me fresh understanding of what the apostle Peter meant when he described Christians as “temporary residents and foreigners” in this world. Faith has granted me citizenship in God’s kingdom of peace and reconciliation, such that I want no part in the cruel and destructive domain gaining foothold in cities like Kenosha across this nation. Yet even though I am no longer of this world, God has placed me in this world, in this exact time and place according to his choosing. By the grace of God I am saved, but I am not innocent. I carry the weight of my own sin as well as the pain and suffering of my culture that has turned its back on God’s ways to pursue other gods.

In Gethsemane Jesus asked the Father not to remove his disciples from the world but to leave them where they were and protect them from the evil one. For me, this means resisting the temptation to withdraw and condemn from afar the desolation I see. Instead, my job is to engage my neighbors in hopeful conversations, to promote good will, and to offer kindness and respect to every person I meet, without exception. God’s answer to the destructive occupation of our streets is our holy occupation of that very same space, where we return good for the evil we receive and prove with our lives the gospel we believe. The apostle says that when our accusers witness our honorable behavior, they will credit our gracious response to the One who shows mercy. Through our obedience to love’s rule, God can shine light into darkness and reach the angry and discontented with the hope of true salvation and justice.

Pray

Our Father, thank you for drawing me into your family and assigning me this holy commission. Take the sword from my heart and alert me to words I speak that hurt and divide the people around me. Correct me and purify me that I may be a true witness for the goodness of your kingdom.

Reflect

Psalm 37:5-9; Matthew 5:16; John 17:14-16

Ponder

In the context of our current social unrest, how have I allowed the domain of the evil one to creep into my attitudes and speech?