1 Peter 1:13-22
Be Holy!

Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.

New Revised Standard Version

Simon Peter, in this passage, calls for Christians to "be holy." He carries on the charge given by God through Moses to the Hebrew people, recorded in the Old Testament book of Leviticus 11:44: "For I am the LORD your God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy."

What do we do with that?

Some of you read Peter's call, and you feel completely inadequate. You know how your life goes, you know how you are and how you act, and you know how impossible it is for you to be holy. Peter might as well be telling you to climb Mount Everest.

Some of you read that call, and are reminded of people you have known who wear "holiness" like expensive jewelry, flashing it at everyone at every opportunity, trying to impress others with how good they are -- and how good the rest of us are not. Surely Peter didn't want that!

You'd be right. This is Simon the fisherman we're talking about, after all! He knew just what it felt like to be completely inadequate to the call of Jesus. He knew just how Jesus reacted to the Pharisees who wore their holy robes to impress the "common people." This Peter knew the secret to what God really wanted in Leviticus, and he explains that to us.

First, there has to be a source for this holiness, and in the verses that come before this passage, Peter rejoices in what God has done for us: "By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." The source is God, and among all that God has given us, God also gives us a fresh start.

Second, we have to have the right focus. That focus is not on our holiness, it is on the grace given by and through Jesus Christ. The Pharisees had wandered off course, "worshipping" the Law instead of the Law Giver. In measuring themselves against the Law, they celebrated their own goodness, and failed to see how they had fallen far short of God's commands.

Third, we have to have the right attitude. Peter calls us to approach holiness like little children. We are insignificant in ourselves, but of great importance to our loving Father. We know little about life and the world, but we have a Father that wants to teach us. We are encouraged to approach the Way with the innocence, curiosity, and exuberance of a child, fascinated with what we find, and eager to dance and laugh for no reason at all -- no reason except the Love that surrounds us!

Fourth, we should treasure the gift of forgiveness with reverence and awe. Peter describes that we were bought back with a ransom, for a price far greater than all the treasures we could gather. We know, and songs across the ages remind us, that Jesus' love for us is so great that he'd do it all again if that's what it took.

Finally, we should express this holiness to others, with deep, genuine love for others. The evidence of God's holiness in us is that we have God's view of other people. We want them to know that they can be holy, too, no matter how far short they have come when trying to be good on their own. We want them to see that holiness is not something that separates good people from bad people -- Jesus taught that the "sheep" aren't separated from the "goats" in this life, but in the next. Instead, this life is the opportunity for all of us to find God, to live in God's love now, and to be given the gift of God's holiness.

Be holy, friends, in the power and grace of Jesus, who gathers us under his wings like baby chicks, who loves us with unmeasurable love, and who calls us to share his love with others with joyful excitement!