ROOTED: Living Scattered, Not Shattered | 1 Peter

ROOTED: Living Scattered, Not Shattered | 1 Peter

INTRO | ROOTED: Living Scattered, Not Shattered Our recent lives and cultural moments have been characterized by personal trials, political unrest, cultural upheaval, health concerns, relational turmoil, economic uncertainty, and varying degrees of individual and corporate trauma. What many in our society believed was a time of relative peace and prosperity has been uprooted as faith in our institutions, and even our neighbors, has been shattered and replaced with great fear, distrust, and division. While the societal fissures have always been present, these recent waves of turmoil have seemed unrelenting and overwhelming. This has caused us to be highly reactive, often discouraged, and at times experiencing crushing despair. The strength and stability of what we have been rooted in is revealed in times of great trial, suffering, or difficulty. Many of us are realizing our roots are too shallow and weak to sustain us in the storms of life. We need to be rooted in something deeper and more life giving than ourselves and our circumstances. We need to be rooted in a life that flows from the life giver, we need a real living hope beyond what we see and have now. We need to be part of a people who are united for a greater purpose than our current growing tribalism. We need good news greater than our current events. We need to be rooted in what is real, true, and eternal. When we are rooted in the transcendent, we are not reactive to the temporary. We can be ROOTED because Christ is IN US! In Jesus Christ we have a hope, identity, purpose, and destiny that is both timely and transcendent. 1 Peter helps us be ROOTED in who we are, where we are going, and how we live today in a world uprooted from the truth of God. We are not planted in a perfectly cultivated orchard, protected from harm. Instead, we are scattered in an inhospitable wilderness. If we are going to survive and thrive, we need to be deeply rooted to remain both faithful and fruitful in the face of significant adversity