To listen to this week’s meditation, click play.
“Baptism places into the world a community of displaced people.”
– Maxwell Johnson
1 Peter 3:18-22
Beloved:
Christ suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient
while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark,
in which a few persons, eight in all,
were saved through water.
This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.
It is not a removal of dirt from the body
but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who has gone into heaven
and is at the right hand of God,
with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.
Reflection Questions
- How often do I recall the significance of my baptism?
- How have I lived the roles of prophet, priest, and king in my life?
- Peter speaks of the Christ preaching to the “spirits in prison”. What spirits are imprisoned within me that need conversion and liberation?
- When has God waited patiently for me? If I can wait patiently for Easter joy, can I be patient with others in my life?
Learn more about Purple Rain.
