When we’re young, certain words or ideas can seem big, bad or burdensome, like “responsibility.” It makes us think of cutting grandma’s lawn or doing chores when we don’t want to. However, as we mature, we see its importance. It’s “response-ability,” using my abilities to consistently respond to the situations around me in a way that honours God and others.
“Holiness” can be like that too, even as we get older. Initially, we think it’s about perpetual moral perfection or a lack of joy. This is often rooted in a mis- (or partial) understanding of what it means. To be holy is to be set apart (distinct) for God’s special purposes.
This sermon on 1 Peter 1:13 - 2:12 takes us through the text and encourages us to see holiness in a very positive light. After all, God said: “Be holy, for I am holy.” It looks at four aspects of holiness which stand in contrast to the prevailing mood of our culture today.
As it says in the Rule of St. Benedict: “Live as a stranger to the ways of the world, and place nothing above the love of Christ.”
