1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV) - “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

If you were to read verse nine with just the adjectives, it would read “But you are chosen, royal, holy, special…” Makes one feel pretty good about themselves. It reminds me of a post on Instagram of a famous father saying to his infant son, “you’re a don, you’re a boss, you’re a legend, you’re the greatest that ever did it”. After such indoctrination, it would be fair to predict this child will grow up to believe he is that great. But verse nine is not just a list of adjectives for an individual, rather when it states “But you” it is more helpful to read it as “But you all are”, and we all are - a people, a priesthood, a nation, a possession.

There is a place for personal devotion and worship in our lives, but trying to be chosen, royal, holy, special without the rest of the people of God would be less than what God intended for us. When we gather as God’s people, a priesthood, a nation, His special possession in corporate worship, there is a calling at hand. We are to declare God’s praises as we reveal our oneness as the people of God. We are no longer living in darkness void of mercy, we now live in God’s wonderful light through His mercy.

Let’s pray today for those you worship with, pray with, fellowship with. Pray the verses from today’s passage over them that as we come together in worship of our Lord, He will enable us to feel, hear, see, know that we are more than our own identities, adjectives, selves, that we are now a people, the people of God. And pray for the calling that we all, as God’s people, declare, testify, witness of His wonderful light and mercy.

-AK