1 Peter 3:8-18

“But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed.  Do not fear what they fear and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord.” (1 Peter 3:14-15a; NRSV)

Apparently, the recipients of this letter are subject to social stigmatizing, or other ridicule, for being, in the eyes of their community, too much “goody  two shoes!” That situation is still present in the world. Whistleblowers or others who seek to bring things to light to establish truth are still being punished, either formally or informally. Those who stand up for the poor and powerless are still ridiculed.  We who pursue God’s truth are more likely to encounter this scenario than those who “ go along to get along.”  To these situations, the writer of 1^st Peter offers the above quoted wisdom—we need not be afraid, nor intimidated.  These words stand as powerful encouragement to us, especially in those times when our Christ-centered ethics clash with the ethics of the world—practicality, expediency, or otherwise not Godly. This we need not fear!

O Lord, keep us free from fear of the consequences of keeping you at the center of our ethics and our actions. Amen

-Mary Parrish, St. Thomas Episcopal Church