while today

Peter addresses the recipients of his first letter as “chosen exiles.” A tension exists with those two words. Chosen represents their status with God. Exiles depicts their relationship to the world. The recipients of the letter seem to be predominantly Gentiles Christians (1:14, 1:18). Now that they are Christians they are out of step with their pagan neighbors, who were “surprised when you do not run with them in the same flood of loose living” (4:4). These Christians found themselves maligned. They felt the tension of being in the world but not of the world.

Is this a correct understanding of Peter’s use of the word “exile”? Peter will come back to this word. Notice the context. It is about right living in a pagan world.

“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. ” (1 Peter 2:11–12, ESV)

One of my favorite quotes from second century Christians is found in an anonymous letter, The Epistle to Diognetus. This author seems very familiar with this tension and expresses it eloquently.

For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of humanity by country, language, or custom. For nowhere do they live in cities of their own, nor do they speak some unusual dialect, nor do they practice an eccentric life-style. This teaching of theirs has not been discovered by the thought and reflection of ingenious men, nor do they promote any human doctrine, as some do. But while they live in both Greek and barbarian cities, as each one’s lot was cast, and follow the local customs in dress and food and other aspects of life, at the same time they demonstrate the remarkable and admittedly unusual character of their own citizenship. They live in their own countries, but only as aliens; they participate in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign country is their fatherland, and every fatherland is foreign. They marry like everyone else, and have children, but they do not expose their offspring. They share their food but not their wives. They are “in the flesh,” but they do not live “according to the flesh.” They live on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the established laws; indeed in their private lives they transcend the laws. They love everyone, and by everyone they are persecuted.*

Don’t be surprised that sometimes you feel like an exile? It comes with the territory of being in the world but not of it, and being chosen is worth it all. The chosen have Christ, the chosen have God, and the chosen have hope.

*The Epistle of Diognetus 5:1-11 in M.W. Holmes, translator, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, p. 541.

This past week has been a time of saying good-bye as a family moves away. I must admit that saying good-bye is never easy to do. It is painful. You become close to someone, and then separation comes. It may be a move, and even worse, it may be death. So what are we supposed to do?

Paul models an answer for us:

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 1 Thessalonians 2:7–8 (ESV)

Note the intimate language that Paul uses to describe their relationship. His gentleness among them was like a nursing mother caring for her own children. He has great affection for them. They were “very dear” to Paul. Paul speaks of sharing “our own selves” as well as the gospel. All of this speaks of a close relationship. Yet, Paul went into Thessalonica as an itinerant preacher. A departure would come, and in the case of Thessalonica, it came sooner than Paul wanted. After an uproar in the city and a security deposit to the officials, Paul is sent away by night. We read of his eagerness to return, and his urgency to receive word about them. Yet I don’t think Paul ever backed off from sharing his own self with people. He invested in people even when there were good-byes to come.

I think there are two Christian answers to this pain of parting. These answers explain why we should invest ourselves in others despite the pain departures bring. The first is the providence of God. In what some may consider “the boring bits” of Paul’s letters, we find many, many names of people important to Paul. Paul had Christian friends around the Roman world. If he departed from some or they departed from him, God had a wonderful way of bringing new people into his life.

New people in our lives doesn’t mean that people are interchangeable parts. If we think about particular persons who are absent, we will miss them. Each person plays a unique role in our lives, but our lives are enriched by each person with whom we share our very selves.

The second answer is the resurrection. There are no lasting good-byes among Christians. Heaven will be the great reunion. We certainly morn our losses, but we do so in hope.

Despite the pain of departures, I suspect that sharing of our own selves will be part of the treasure we find awaiting us in heaven.