3rd Sunday after Trinity - 26 Jun 1955
26 June 1955, St. John’s Chapel
1 Peter 5:5-11: Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”
The first Epistle of St. Peter from which the Epistle for today is taken was written to a community of Christians who were undergoing persecution. They were being put to the test. Were they going to come out victorious or were they going to give into the devil? Was their faith in Christ going to carry them through this time of testing or were they going to fail? The hour of testing has come to many when they are persecuted for their faith. It may come to us too. When we try to live the Christian life truly we experience many difficulties and trials. It is not easy to live the Christian life.
Today’s Epistle and Gospel tell us what we should do wh1en we are tested. The Gospel reminds us that each one of us counts with God. The Parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin tell us how much God cares for every one of us. The Epistle also tells us that we should cast all our care upon Him for He careth for us.
How different is this message from that of Communism and other forms of totalitarianism. In Communism the individual is of no importance, but the Christian Gospel tells us that God cares for every individual, however insignificant he may be. So we are exhorted to come humbly to God. For it is only in that spirit that God can give us His grace and His power to withstand the devil in whatever form he may come to us. ' Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your care upon him for he careth for you.'