Feb. 16, 2015: 1 Peter 3:18-22

We encourage you to read this devotion three times a day.  Start in the morning and reflect upon the morning reflection question. Then in the afternoon, read it again and reflect using the noon question for reflection.  For the evening, take time to ponder how this has resonated with you in the day and reflecting using the evening question.  We offer a prayer with each devotion for you to pray or we invite you to pray what is in your heart.

 

1 Peter 3:18-22  

¹⁸For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, ²⁰who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. ²¹And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

Reflection:

We are often left thinking about baptism as being cleansed.  We focus so heavily on being made clean.  However, it is through God’s love that we are forgiven and made clean.  Sacraments, baptism and communion, are an outward sign of an inward grace.   In other words, sacraments are our response to God’s love.  In verse 21, “²¹And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”  we can understand this to mean that we are responding to God in saying “help us to be more like You.”  This means that we need to start living out our baptism daily.  Through baptism, we are all called to be ministers.  This might sound scary.  No worries, you aren’t going to have to get up on Sunday to preach (unless you are a pastor), but you are to minister to all you meet and share the good news. This can be done in many ways. Again, this is a way of responding to God’s love.

Reflection Questions:

Morning: What is your understanding of baptism?

Noon: How can you minister to those around you?

Evening: How are you responding to God’s love through your baptism?

Prayer: Help us Lord to remember Your mighty acts of creation, the water that came in the flood, the Exodus, and the greatest of all, the coming of Jesus Christ  and all of those before us who You were with.  Let us remember that You are with us always.  Guide us to be Your ministers to the world. Amen.