There is no shame in your suffering. It does not mean your faith is small or your righteousness is lacking. For the righteousness that you have, the righteousness that gains you eternal life, which gives you the promise of glory, is not your righteousness. It is Christ’s. It is a gift given freely to you from a God who suffers for you. We gather here not in glory but under a cross, a cross that gives you salvation.

Since the beginning of the Church, false teachings have crept into it. Sometimes this comes from a slow drift in which cultural norms gradually shift the focus of the Church’s teaching. Whole groups of the people of God become unmoored from the clear testimony of Scripture and embrace something unorthodox. Sometimes it comes from powerful charismatic leaders who champion a twisted understanding of the Word and lead the sheep astray. Sometimes it is found in people who want to do what seems right and may even be praised by men but are against the clear Word. Yet, since the dawn of TV evangelists and in our age of social media saturation and Instagram-perfect lives, perhaps the most pervasive and persistent fall is under the category of the prosperity gospel. 

The prosperity gospel comes in many forms. Some are crass and easy to spot, while others are far more subtle and invasive. The easy-to-spot ones are when you hear that God wants you to be wealthy and healthy, and if you just give money to this ministry, He will, in turn, bless you tenfold. Do you want healing? Then make a sacrificial gift. If you want to be financially independent, then write the check. After all, God wants you to be wealthy. He wants to bless you. You just need to prove you trust Him, and then you will see what wonderful things He does for you. Now, the more subtle version will, in various ways, seek to impress upon you that suffering, in whatever form it takes in your life, is not part of God’s plan. The point of going to church, the point of being a believer, is to experience true glory. It is not glory in some distant prize beyond the horizon but glory here and now. They persist in the illusion that we, as the people of God, are promised a suffering-free life.

However, today we are greeted with the words of Saint Peter, words about the reality of suffering in our lives. He says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” Do not be surprised, he says, do not be shocked when you suffer. In fact, he goes on to say, “If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.” The gift of faith does not promise a removal of suffering from your life. Rather, suffering comes as a test and a judgment on the people of God. It refines your faith and turns you again and again to the gift and promises of your God. There will be a day to come beyond suffering, a day of glory and eternal joy, but not yet, not now.

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