DAILY READING
REFLECTION
The Sermon of Your Life
by Judy Webb
2 Peter 1:16 (MSG) "We weren’t, you know, just wishing on a star when we laid the facts out before you regarding the powerful return of our Master, Jesus Christ. We were there for the preview! We saw it with our own eyes."
If you knew you were going to die soon, are there things you would want to do, people you would want to see? Are there stories you would want to tell to have recorded for future generations?
We find Peter in this situation in the reading for today: recognizing his approaching death. He wants to prepare his followers, just as years earlier Jesus prepared him.
Peter wants to guarantee certain facts are kept straight; he wants to ensure the Truth is shared over and over. He wants future generations to understand about Jesus' life and death. The stories of Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Light, needed to be preserved accurately.
Peter, an eyewitness to these facts, gave testimony to them instructing his followers to remember the Truth. Family stories are important and need to be preserved so future generations recognize where they came from, identify their roots, and value their heritage. This knowledge can keep us from falling back into bondage and help us to maintain a forward course. One commentary I referred to stated: faith rests upon the testimonies of eyewitnesses who pass down what they see and hear from others.
Peter reminds his people to keep telling the story. He affirms the facts of Old Testament prophecy and the revelation of history in the New Testament. Our ancestors may have kept journals or diaries which could provide us with similar testimonials. We gain a fresh understanding of who we are when we learn about 'whose' we are, when we understand the story leading up to this day.
PRAYER
Jesus, encourage us to tell our stories, to share with others the truth of how we came to believe. Give us courage to speak what is on our hearts. Our truth needs to be repeated so we can remain grounded and effective in our divine mission.
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