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Hi everyone!

Well, I don’t know about you, but to me it definitely feels like September has arrived this week. I wore a sweater to work this morning—something I haven’t done for quite a while. I don’t mind the change. It’s good to have some rain along with the sun, and there are many things I enjoy in fall. All the same, there is a slightly different feel in the air this week. Or at least, that’s how it strikes me, but perhaps it’s just a response to a years-long habit of starting into a new school year in September.

On that front, best wishes and prayers for all the folks in our community who are launching a new school year, or involved in other fall start-up activities. May this be a wonderful and fruitful year for you, guided by God and filled with a sense of His presence.

I no longer work in semesters, but in my world the arrival of September does mean the beginning of a new sermon series. This week we’ll kick off a study of 1 Peter which will take us at least until Advent.

Many folks in our congregation have been watching the TV program The Chosen over the past while. (Diane and I have, too, though we need to catch up a bit after taking a break.)  If you haven’t seen it, let me encourage you to give it a try. It’s a wonderful series, and very well done. It’s not a substitute for Bible study, of course. Like all Bible-based films, it incorporates quite a bit of interpretation as well as a good deal of imaginative reading-between-the-lines to fill out the story. But it follows the narrative of the Gospels well, and is particularly careful to present the teaching of Jesus accurately. It’s a great way to get us all thinking about Jesus’ life and ministry and the experience of the first disciples who followed Him around Galilee and Judea.

One of the big differences between The Chosen and many other films and programs about Jesus is that this series follows the story from the perspective of the disciples—those men and women who were called by Jesus to follow Him and eventually to lead others. They really were “the chosen.” It’s interesting to imagine what life must have been like for them as they met Jesus, walked with Him, and learned from Him.

I’ve sometimes wondered what we’d learn if we could somehow go back and talk with those first disciples. What would Matthew and James and Mary and John and Peter have to tell us? What were they really like? How would they explain their experience with the Messiah? I would be especially interested to spend some time with the disciples who shared the most intimate events with Jesus—Peter, James, and John. No one saw as much of His ministry as these gents. And, in the case of Peter and John, no one else was so closely tied up with the first events in the book of Acts, when the church was planted in Jerusalem and spread into the surrounding area. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to spend some time chatting with Peter?!

Of course that’s not possible. Maybe in heaven one day? However, we do get a little flavor for the personality and story-telling and teaching of Peter and John as we read the New Testament. John has given us a Gospel, 3 short letters, and insights in the book of Revelation. Peter? Well, from the very first centuries of church history it was said that the Gospel of Mark was written by Mark to capture the stories told by Peter when he preached. This makes excellent sense, and it is supported by the final verses of 1 Peter which include greetings from Mark, who Peter describes as “my son” in the faith. So we get at least a glimpse into Peter’s preaching from Mark, and also from the sermons recorded in the book of Acts.

And then we have 2 letters written by Peter. These are short, and they were written near the end of his life, probably 30ish years after Jesus’ ministry. The letters say less about the story of Jesus’ life, but they have a lot to say about the difference Jesus makes in our lives and how we ought to live in response. In the process, they also give us some insight into the personality and the teaching of Peter.

So, I’m looking forward to this study. It will take us into Peter’s world, a little. And as with all the books of the Bible, it will offer us many things of value for our own walk with Jesus. This week we’ll begin with the introduction, which comes in the first 2 verses: 1 Peter 1:1-2. If you’re reading ahead, by all means feel free to read as much of 1 Peter as is convenient for you. It’s all good—though the book is densely packed and loaded with some imagery that can take a little unpacking. For this Sunday I recommend prioritizing 1:1-2 and also reading the final farewell in 1 Peter 5:12-14, which provides some more of the historical context for the letter.

In the meantime, have a wonderful week. If you’re starting new things as we go into fall, God bless you richly as you launch the new adventures. If things are carrying on more or less as usual, that’s great too—may the fall season continue to be filled with our Lord’s good gifts and His presence. Whatever comes, may you know God’s grace and peace in fullest measure (as we’ll read in 1 Peter 1:2).

—Pastor Ken