Surrender in freedom?

Sermon on 1 Peter 2:19-25

Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. (1 Peter 2,18)

In other words: “Do what they tell you. Whether it is reasonable or unreasonable. Because it is not about you and your freedom.” At the beginning of the section of the first letter to Peter it is stated who“ they ”are and what they are called to do. The words are addressed to the Christian slaves and to the other “nobodies” at that time. They had nothing to say anyway and now have to listen to something like that. Thank you very much.

Usually, our situation as Christian people at the beginning of the 21st century is difficult to compare with the situation of Christian slaves at the end of the first century. One can rightly protest against such statements: We are no slaves. We have finally overcome slavery, don’t we? This is no way to treat people and certainly no way to treat us. 

Well, as so often in the past few weeks, this letter once again shows us in what kind of exceptional situation we are at the moment. To feel like a slave, to live under conditions that we cannot control and that leave little or no freedom to live the life we want to live. This has never happened to me before. A virus has become our strange master. It rules over those who otherwise have the say or want to have it anyway. We see leaders of all kind, reach their limits with power and responsibility. The benevolent and kind ones as well as the weird or confused ones. We totally rely on our leadership these days and yet realize that our leaders are actually just people like us. Mostly, people who try their very best to their very best knowledge. But their knowledge is limited when it comes to a totally new virus.

Nobody knows what is right and what is wrong these days. Some people worry about their freedom and their future to live as self-determined people. They are afraid of losing their jobs or have already lost them. They want to reopen the country and its economy the sooner the better to avoid the big crash. 

Others mostly worry about the health of this nation and the world and how we can make sure for as many people as possible to survive this virus. They want to keep people safely in their homes as long as possible. 

Both sides have valid arguments, both sides fear for their lives and their future. And that’s why they start fighting over an open or closed beach as if this meant the salvation of the world. This type of argument may help to let off some steam. But it will not change our situation. We can't get out of this pandemic with any easy solution. And suddenly the word "slavery" is no longer 2000 years away from us.

This letter was written for situations in which the rebellion is of no use, for whatever reason. For us. The words say: You have a role model, one who shows you how to deal with something like this. Something you cannot leave behind for whatever reason. Your role model is Jesus Christ. He has been in such a situation himself. Even though he was quite a rebel during his lifetime. He practically did nothing else than to protest against the prevailing conditions and to challenge the order of his world and his time.

But when his suffering and death began, he stopped rebelling. Jesus crossed the imprecise, never sharply defined line between resistance and surrender. And just like us, he learned that it is different from what everyone thinks. Surrender is actually much more difficult than resistance. 

That is why Jesus showed us how to do it, what no one likes to do and no one can do well. That is why he was the one "who, when he was reviled, did not return the revile, did not threaten when he suffered, but left it to the one who does justice, who himself carried our sins up on the body on his body."

With these words it’s Good Friday again, even after Easter. Because the Good Days of Life can unfortunately never be determined in advance, nor can someone tell you when they come and how long they will last. No one can tell us how far we have made it through the valley of death yet on the map of life. It’s the one question we all keep asking: Are we there yet? When can we meet our families and friends again? When will the world reopen? On the way through dark valleys there are no definite distances. And there is no point in looking forward impatiently as to whether the path after the next curve is finally coming to an end. This path has to be walked. One step at a time. There are no shortcuts.

And if right now you can just see 6 feet ahead and take the next step. If you can hardly see beyond the next day or the coming week, there is one thing you will see: there are footsteps. Someone has already walked this path before you. Jesus, the shepherd of your soul. The Good Shepherd. He walks with you on the green meadows and through the dark valley. He refreshes your tired soul. He sets the table for you and pours you a drink and says: Just drink and relax and trust me. I am here with you, I know where we are going, let me lead you through the valley of death.

" For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls." Amen.