1 Peter 1:1-2

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. NASB

Those…chosen, but for what? according to the foreknowledge of God (what does that mean?) by the sanctifying work of the Spirit…to obey! and be sprinkled w/ his blood. Two words: sanctifying (holifying?) and to obey. God chose “those” (churches? people? people who make up churches?) “according to his foreknowledge” (still don’t know what that is supposed to mean…his foreknowledge of what? what did he know? and why does that relate to his chosing?) Either way, the choosing was by the holifying of HS, to obey. Not to be saved from hell - but to obey. He chose - to obey, a holy priesthood for himself. He chose “those” to be holy. That is the purpose of his chosing. And to be sprinkled…but what does that signify? cleansing? “justification” (oh no!)? atonement? sprinkled…OT…sprinkling atoned but for those already chosen…not for salvation. Same idea?

Sunday Again

By: Me (but not about me…just a general song)

Sunday’s here again
She’s laughing with her friends
The music’s polished to a tee
The preacher’s at his best

And here she is again
Waving goodbye to her friends
Walking out the door
Going home in her car

And the emptiness closes in
The loneliness rises within

She wasn’t gonna cry tonight
She was gonna push it all away
But she’s sinking fast tonight
And feels the weight of the pain
She doesn’t want to die
Just a reason to believe

Sunday’s here again
And it’s back to the old games
Neatly in place is her façade
Yet she wonders what they’d say

To the hurt she holds inside
To the many nights she’s cried
But she doesn’t even try
Why should she even try?

And the emptiness closes in
The loneliness rises within

She wasn’t gonna cry tonight
She was gonna push it all away
But she’s sinking fast tonight
And feels the weight of the pain
She doesn’t want to die
Just a reason to believe

Sunday’s here again
She’s laughing with her friends
The music’s polished to a tee
The preacher’s at his best

But she feels so alone
In the midst of a crowd
They don’t know the hurt inside
The nights that she’s cried

Yet even as her heart is breaking
Another person’s world is shaking
A body of people lost alone at sea
What a bitter irony
Their strength failing, and their hope dim
And none of them know how to swim

And the emptiness closes in
The loneliness rises within

They weren’t gonna cry tonight
They were gonna push it all away
But they’re sinking fast tonight
And they feel the weight of their pain
They don’t want to die
Just a reason to believe

There’s a reason to believe
There’s a reason to believe

Fake

By: Me

A family, a body; Christian unity
Brother and sister, you and me
It sounds so nice while sitting in church
We nod in agreement as we hurt

A smile, a laugh, a pat on the back
This replaces the intimacy we lack
Two hours a week we get our church
And this is supposed to heal our hurts?

I’ll tell you what it’s all about
I’ll tell you how it is

It’s fake
We’re all a bunch of fakes
Our smiles are learned
While lives are burned
It’s fake
We’re all a bunch of fakes
Don’t tell me
I won’t tell you
It’s fake

We wonder why we’re such a wreck
Divorce and drugs, abuse and sex
We chalk it up to society
Really the problem is with you and me

We live in an alternate reality
To think our lives are so pristine
But we don’t even want to change
Even though we could heal the pain

But I’ll tell you what it’s all about
I’ll tell you how it is

It’s fake
We’re all a bunch of fakes
Our smiles are learned
While lives are burned
It’s fake
We’re all a bunch of fakes
Don’t tell me
I won’t tell you
It’s fake

He’s struggling with sin
He keeps giving in
But no one knows about it
Even though he wants to win

She needs something for the pain
She’s at the wrong place
But no one knows about it
At least not till she’s gone

We were meant to live this life together
Any storm we could weather
If only we would drop the walls
If only we could bare our souls

It’s fake
We’re all a bunch of fakes
Our smiles are learned
While lives are burned
It’s fake
We’re all a bunch of fakes
Don’t tell me
I won’t tell you
It’s fake