We are launched into the Advent season with words like “destruction,” “perish,” and “melt with fire.” Are you feeling festive?
But if we look closer, there might be some familiar feelings in our passage for today. Some people were having doubts about this promised second coming. Are Jesus’ words that he would be coming back really true?
The question here is this: Will God ever do anything about all the wrong things in this world?
The author of 2nd Peter is not playing around with their response. They make it very clear that (1) God’s promises are trustworthy and (2) God has a plan. Remember those holly jolly words you read about destruction? The Bible often calls back to itself, and this explanation of God’s plan echoes the teachings of Jesus in places like Matthew 13, where everything that destroys life as God intended is stopped.
Can we be honest in saying that it can be easier when the world feels far from perfect to accept hopelessness instead of holding onto the promises of God?
The people in 2 Peter are told to not be carried away by other promises that feel more secure than waiting on the Lord. And in the meantime, they are given this job:
“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…” (2 Peter 3:18a)
How might we address hopelessness in ourselves, our neighborhood, and our world?
By growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.
Written by Pastor Lauren Miller
