EXILES

SUMMER BREAK

I WENT TO A SMALL UNIVERSITY IN TULSA, OKLAHOMA CALLED ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY. ONE OF THE UNIQUE ASPECTS OF ORU WAS IT ATTRACTED PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY (AND THE WORLD!). THIS MADE MY 12-MONTH RHYTHM SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM SOME OF MY PEERS. MANY OF MY FRIENDS WENT TO LOCAL STATE SCHOOLS WITH THEIR HIGH SCHOOL BUDDIES, AND AS A RESULT, THEIR SCHOOL YEAR AND SUMMER WERE SIMPLY EXTENSIONS OF ONE ANOTHER. ON THE OTHER HAND, EACH SUMMER, THE FRIENDS I MADE THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR WERE SCATTERED BACK ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND THEN EVERY FALL WE WOULD RE-GATHER. WE WERE SCATTERED EXILES EVERY SUMMER AND GATHERED GOLDEN EAGLES EVERY SCHOOL YEAR.

THERE IS A SIMILAR NOTE BEING STRUCK HERE IN 1 PETER.

1 PETER 1:1-2

"TO THOSE WHO ARE ELECT EXILES OF THE DISPERSION IN PONTUS, GALATIA, CAPPADOCIA, ASIA, AND BITHYNIA...MAY GRACE AND PEACE BE MULTIPLIED TO YOU."

WHEN PETER KICKS OFF HIS LETTER, HE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT HE'S WRITING TO GOD'S PEOPLE THAT ARE NOW EXILES AND SCATTERED ACROSS ASIA MINOR.

WHILE "EXILE" IS A GREAT THEOLOGICAL TERM, THE MORE PRECISE TRANSLATION MAY BE "SOUJOURNER" OR "PILGRIM."

IN OTHER WORDS, PETER IS A MAKING A SPECIFIC, GEOGRAPHICAL CLAIM THAT ON SOME LEVEL GOD'S PEOPLE AT THIS TIME ARE EXILED, SOUJOURNEYING, AND STRANGERS IN THE PLACE WHERE THEY ARE.

HOWEVER IN A MORE GENERAL, THEOLOGICAL SENSE, PETER IS NOTING THAT GOD'S PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS A BIT OF THE EXILED, SOUJOURNEYING, AND STRANGER TYPES WHEREVER THEY ARE IN THE WORLD.

PAUL SAYS IT THIS WAY IN PHILIPPIANS 3:20, "BUT YOU ARE CITIZENS (OR A COLONY) OF HEAVEN."

HEBREWS SAYS IT THIS WAY  IN 11:13, "[BUT SOME] DIED IN FAITH, NOT HAVING RECEIVED THE THINGS PROMISED, BUT HAVING SEEN THEM AND GREETED THEM FROM AFAR, AND HAVING ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY WWERE STRANGERS AND EXILES ON THE EARTH."

EXILES, SOUJOURNERS, AND PILGRIMS

I'M A BIG FAN OF PUTTING DOWN ROOTS.

I'M A BIG FAN OF PROPERTY.

I'M A BIG FAN OF CARVING OUR DECADES IN A SPACE.

HOWEVER, NO MATTER HOW DEEP WE PUT OUR ROOTS IN A HOME, A NEIGHBORHOOD, A COMMNITY, ETC., IT'S IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT WE ARE (AND ALWAYS WILL BE!) EXILES, SOUJOURNERS, AND PILGRIMS THROUGH THE EARTH UNTIL THE NEW CREATION.

THIS MEANS EVERYTIME A FLASH OF BLESSING LIGHTS UP OUR LIFE, WE GET TO BE THANKFUL FOR GOD'S GOODNESS AND A MOMENT OR SEASON OF REST IN THE WORLD.

IN ADDITION, IN THE MIDDLE OF UNSETTLEDNESS AND TRIAL, WE CAN REMEMBER THAT GOD IS STILL GOOD AND THAT (ULTIMATELY) WE ARE STILL PILGRIMS IN THIS PLACE, THAT IT IS NOT OUR HOME, AND THAT WE ARE DOING THE HARD WORK OF COLONIZING SPACES OF HEAVEN IN SPACES OF EARTH.