The Public Hope of Faithful Presence
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 1And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.1 Peter 5:1–11
In the original Greek, the Letter of 1 Peter contains 1,684 words, so public reading of this would have taken less than 20 minutes. The New Testament, as we know it, did not exist at this time. There were, of course, letters circulating from the apostles, some of which would form the eventual canon of Scripture that was effectively established in Athanasius’ Easter Letter of 367. Those who were Jewish would have heard many quotations and echoes from the Old Testament, while the more recent Gentile converts would not have had such a framework to help them connect Peter’s instruction to the ongoing and unfolding narrative of redemption.
Knowing this is the case, what would you say with your final words? Classic rhetoric style suggests that you “Tell them what you are going to say, say it, and then tell them what you said.” While often attributed to Aristotle, who certainly influenced the rhetorical style and was familiar to Peter, the phrase was actually made popular by Dale Carnegie. Regardless of attribution, Peter seems to have known how to write an effective letter. His conclusion is a pitch-perfect word-on-target.
The Object of Hope
This entire letter has sought to ground the first century, elect exiles of Asia Minor, in the living hope of Christ. We know that because it is how Peter opened the letter,
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3–9.
What makes the hope of Christians different and superior to all other hopes is the fact that it is living. And, because our hope is living, it is active and relational. In the opening of the letter, Peter describes the proper response of grasping the hope that we have in Christ with the words, “you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” Here, Peter is focusing on the present experience of our joy and glory. In the closing, Peter is saying, “But wait, there’s more.” The hope that Christ offers us is not just present, but future glory. Peter uses the final words to emphasise the already and not yet nature of glory by saying there is a “glory that is going to be revealed” and promising “you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
This is great news for people who are on the weak side of most earthly power differentials. It is especially great news for those serving and leading in the public square. It is comforting for those who labor for years with little to no recognition, or have to tear down and rebuild agency regulations every time an administration changes, or work for bosses who take all the credit for themselves. While there may be no glory now, there is a glory coming - and that glory cannot be taken away. But it is also great news for leaders in a position to regularly experience the glory that comes with serving and leading in the public square. For them, it removes the burden of having to take glory away from others and direct it to themselves, or exhausting themselves to achieve public recognition, and all of the emotional, relational, and vocational trouble that pursuit causes. God promises us glory that he will give us.
The People of Hope
Peter, with his pastor’s heart, reinforces that Jesus promises to “restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” This matters because everyone, everywhere, at all times, wants and needs to be restored, confirmed, strengthened, and established. Because we, right now, everyone, everywhere, at all times, are fallen, fragged, finite, and fragile. This is exactly what Christ came to do - make us whole.
The message, miracles, and ministry of Christ were focused on making people whole through restoring, confirming, strengthening, and establishing those he encountered. Sometimes, that took the form of healing lepers, the paralyzed, the blind, and even raising the dead. This restored them to their families, to their communities, to their economy, but also to the fellowship of God’s people. Other times, it involved confirming value for men and women who were unwanted and unwelcome or who lived with shame. Jesus strengthened crowds of people who were hungry with bread and fed his hungry disciples with fish. Unfortunately, all of these acts to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish were partial and temporary. All of these acts of Jesus were foretastes of the coming kingdom and the full restoring, confirming, strengthening, and establishing of all his followers.
The paradox of the people of hope then is that they are simultaneously fallen, fragged, finite, and restored, confirmed, strengthened, and established. This, too, is encouragement to those leading and serving in the public square, as it reminds them that the source of their being made whole is ultimately found in Christ. Everyone involved in the public square is currently in the process of being sanctified, conformed into the image of the Son, by the Father through the Holy Spirit. We are all being “grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 6b-7. We have all been, “ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers” 1 Peter 1:18. We are all “newborn infants, [who must] long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” 1 Peter 2:2. We are all “sojourners and exiles” 1 Peter 2:11. None of us, and therefore, no one in the public square, has yet received glorification.
That is our present reality. And yet, Peter has said,
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9–10.
While this offers an indicative insight into followers of Christ, it also provides imperative fuel for our work as agents of restoring, confirming, strengthening, and establishing others. When Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, these actions fell to the disciples, who did not have the same power as Jesus but to whom he said, “As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” John 20:21.
The Place of Hope
In the 1984 cult classic, Buckaroo Bonzai: Across the Eighth Dimension, the movie’s earth-saving protagonist and rock guitarist interrupts his band’s performance to question a troubled young woman named Penny, who is crying in the audience. After explaining her hardships, the crowd begins to taunt her, only to have Buckaroo Bonzai say, “Hey, don’t be mean. Because, wherever you go, there you are.” While it’s unlikely we will ever find ourselves as the central character in an intergalactic battle to save the world, we are regularly in a position to speak important words and take consequential action in the public square.
One question I am often asked is, “What is the public square and where is it?” Right, I know that it is two questions, but they are always asked together as though they were one. First, the public square is the forum where matters of local, regional, or national flourishing are discussed. This may include town councils, school boards, state legislatures, and Congress. But it also includes the public commentary that happens at those meetings, the events hosted by policy centers and think tanks, and even conversations at the local restaurant, coffee shop, bar, or classroom where these issues of flourishing are being discussed. These issues include the relationship between free markets and community responsibility, immigration, criminal justice, education, race relations, care for the elderly, the poor, or the homeless. It also covers conversations about access to healthcare, the security of the community from outside harm, private property rights, whether it is better to pursue equality of opportunity or equality of outcome, what is marriage, what is gender, workplace safety, agricultural production, and environmental care.
Depending on an individual’s place in any of those issues, they may be profoundly affected by the decisions made on the topic, as well as being very emotionally overwhelmed by who they are experiencing their intersection with the issue. The magnitude of the issue, for some, may have even brought them to a place of hopelessness.
This is why our hope belongs in the public square, which is wherever we are. Those who believe they are without hope, and those who are clinging to a hope that is not living and relational, need to see hopeful servants and leaders flourishing in the public square as they participate in Christ’s mission of making all things new, because they have experienced whole-life discipleship which includes intentional spiritual, emotional, relational, vocational, ideological, cultural and evangelical formation.
Our hope belongs in the public square because it is what will allow us to endure a long obedience in the same direction as we work to implement the answers to the questions:
What is good that requires encouragement?
What is broken that longs for restoration?
What is missing that awaits creation?
What is evil that demands opposition?”
Our hope belongs in the public square, “Because, wherever you go, there you are.”
Application Questions
What aspects of Christ’s mission of making all things new are you in a position to participate in the place God has placed you in the public square?
How does your position in relationship to earthly power differentials benefit and/or hinder your ability to respond to the four questions of faithful presence?
In what situations is it most difficult for you to focus on the living hope that Christ offers? How are you growing in your ability to refocus on hope in those moments?
