In 1 Peter 2, Peter uses a whole cadre of terms to describe Christ-followers. Why we're not only God’s people (1 Peter 2:9) we’re also “…a chosen people…a royal priesthood…a holy
nation….” (1 Peter 2:9); distinctive, unique, special categories.
And for good reason: as God’s people we’re not to blend in with
the crowd; we’re to stand out from the crowd as distinctive, holy, men and
women. Translated: folks are to sense:
there’s something different about us. And so: what’s different about you?
My Dad was a
unique character. Why he loved tacky
auctions, featuring the junkiest most useless stuff, ever – he relished greasy,
fattening food, delicacies like pigs-feet, souse and hog-maw – and he cherished
weird music, like the sound of Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians. But the strangest thing about my Dad was the
way he dressed; most notably: my Dad always wore a tie; in fact I
can’t remember a time when my Dad didn’t wear a tie. The weirdest place my Dad wore a tie, was to
the Washington County Sanitary Landfill; translated the Washington County
dump. And boy was I embarrassed! Why everyone else wore work clothes to the
dump, and blended right in. But not my
Dad; my Dad wore a tie to the dump; right in the midst of that smelly place Dad
wore a tie, and stood right out!
But you know,
I think my Dad was on to something: we
should stand right out, in smelly places.
Why as Christ-followers, in particular, we shouldn’t just blend in. Isn’t that what Jesus is suggesting in Matthew 5: why you’re not only the
salt of the earth, you’re also the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). And as the light of the world, you shouldn’t
put your light “…under a bowl…Instead…put it on a stand…Let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in
heaven…” (Matthew 5:15-16).
Bottom line: nothing prompts an opportunity to share Christ like a changed life. In this smelly world, when people
experience someone who’s different, they look away from their garbage, and gravitate
toward the glow of a transformed life.
And so our challenge: "live a life that demands an explanation." Dustin Stoutt