Remember Who You Are!
Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:4-10
You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God ... 1 Peter 2:9
Fifty years ago, when I left my home in the Netherlands to come to the United States, an elder from my church stopped by to wish me well. He shook my hand, looked me in the eyes, and said, "Don't ever forget where you came from." It was his way of telling me never to forget my parents who struggled to make ends meet, and, more important, what they had taught me about the Lord.
In our Scripture for today the apostle Peter is saying the same thing. Peter wants his readers to remember where they came from and who they have become: God called them "out of darkness into his wonderful light" to be "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God." By remembering these foundational facts, they would always have reason to celebrate God's grace and faithfulness.
Remember who you are by remembering where you came from.
Of course, there may be some things we would rather not remember. Maybe there are some things we wish had never happened. Some things in our past may have been too painful or embarrassing.
But as we look back on where we have been and we see where God's grace has brought us, we can celebrate God's grace through every generation!
Father in heaven, thank you for calling us "out of darkness into [your] wonderful light." Help us remember who we are and what we have become, by your grace.
About the author — Arthur J. Schoonveld
Rev. Art Schoonveld is a retired minister in the Christian Reformed Church. Before retiring in 2001, he served churches in California, Illinois, and Michigan. Since his retirement he has worked part-time for the denomination and has served as an interim pastor. Art and his wife, Anita, have four children and nine grandchildren.
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