Proclaiming His Excellencies

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 2:9-10

“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. 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)

If we understand who we are as a church of God, what is stopping us from proclaiming what God has done in our lives? We are sinful people who God has redeemed to become His people. We are a gathering of rebellious people who have received God’s most marvellous grace. 

Peter tells us, we are a chosen race. We are a people set apart from before the world began to be God’s people. God chose to love us not because we are worthy to be loved but because of His love itself. God wants to show us His faithfulness, His true love, and His true character. 

We are also called a royal priesthood. We have a relationship with God in Christ where we can pray and meditate the world to God. We are a people who are separated from God, a people set apart to know God. Not everyone in the world receives the grace to know God, yet it has been given to us. 

Once again, a holy nation means a set-apart people. We are God’s special people. We are set apart in holiness. That is, we are set apart to obey and follow Christ. We have been given a new life and a new identity. We have a new master and a new goal in life. We must learn to obey Him.

Lastly, we are a people of his own possession. God loves us very much. We fail to comprehend his love, and Paul even prays for His church to grasp the breadth and length and height and depth of it (Ephesians 3:18). God treasures us so much despite our unworthiness and rebellion. He sent His only Son to die on the cross for us. No one can understand what God’s love for us really is. 

Who is the church then as a community? We have a wondrous identity that we ourselves fail to see. What should we do then as a community? All this is given to us so that we may become God’s witnesses in this world. 

We have received mercy even though we may only be teens. God has a purpose for us which we must complete collectively and individually. We must proclaim His excellencies which have called us out of sin and darkness into the truth and light. We have a story of good news to share with the world who lives in crisis. Many teens are confused about the world and who they are. They need the good news of Christ. If we have experienced the life-saving power of Christ, will we not give our whole heart to proclaiming this message to others? 

Let us pray for courage, wisdom, and God’s leading so that we may mobilise to be Christ’s witness to our generation as a community. 

Lord, thank You for the grace You have shown us. You chose us before the creation of the world, and this day we have been united in Your church. We stand in awe at Your work of grace in our lives. Forgive us for our sins and rebellion. Yet, You still love us in Christ. You brought us out of darkness into the light. We praise You. Give us courage and wisdom, Lord, to be your witness in our generation. Mobilise us as individuals and us as a community to proclaim Your excellencies in this world. In Jesus’ name, amen.