One Nation

"But you are a chosen race,   a royal priesthood,  a holy nation,  a people for his possession,  so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

1 Peter 2:9-10

A relative of my maternal grandmother did family genealogy a few years back. She found that my mother was a direct descendant of a businessman on the Mayflower, and George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  My maternal grandfather was a child of Syrian immigrants.  From all of that genealogy, I know that I’m a pure American mutt.  English, Scottish, Irish, Syrian, and Choctaw just through my mother.  My father’s line is another mixture of nations.  I can claim so many nations that I’m not sure I can claim a nation.

We pledge allegiance to the US flag saying, “one nation”.  If I am any example of Americans then we are a poor example of a nation.  The people Peter was writing too were a poor example of a nation in the world’s eyes also.  “The elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1).  Not what you would call a nation.

Peter calls these people not only a nation, but a holy nation.  A people set apart by God to be priests to proclaim praises of God to those in darkness.  They were not a people but God had made them a people; his people.  His priests

Americans are much like these people of Asia minor that Peter was writing to.  We are European, Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, African, etc.  American’s are the mixture of nations of earth.  Like these people of Asia minor, God has called his chosen a nation.  His nation of priests to proclaim his glory into the darkness.

--Zine Smith