Presence Weekly 11/25/2024, "The Paradox of Our Purpose: A Contrast of Cravings"

2 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 

⁴ As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ⁵ you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture: 

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, 
a cornerstone chosen and precious, 
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 

⁷ So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, 

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 

⁸ and 

“A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” 

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 1 Peter 2:1–8.

With the 2024 presidential election behind us and President-elect Trump preparing to occupy the White House again after winning the popular vote by less than 2% over Vice President Kamala Harris, we might reflect upon another high-profile presidential election that took place 50 years ago.

In 1972, then President Richard Nixon won reelection after soundly defeating Hubert Humphries by one of the most lopsided victories in history. Nixon surpassed Humphies in the popular vote by over 26% and won every state in the Electoral College except Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. On election night, Nixon’s campaign team and staff basked in the glory of the clear vote of confidence received from the American people. This resounding victory placed President Nixon’s second term on a glide path for one of the most successful and productive terms of any presidency in recent memory. 

But that’s not what happened. 

Less than three weeks after the inauguration, on February 7, 1973, the United States Senate began hearings to investigate a break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C., that had occurred five months before the election.

Following a June 17, 1972 break-in, police arrested five men for the burglary. Even before the election, many signs pointed to the involvement of CREEP (the Committee to Reelect the President) in the burglary. Over the next year and a half, the Senate investigation uncovered a conspiracy that eventually led all the way to President Richard Nixon. Finally, on August 8th, 1974, the president who had been reelected in a landslide victory became the first president to resign. An election that started as a triumph of honor and glory ended with a resignation of humiliation and shame.

What would motivate someone that Gallop announced on the day of the break-in was leading by 20 points to engage in a criminal conspiracy to allay their nagging fear of failure? The same thing that sometimes motivates us - the pursuit of personal glory.

The negative impact on our behavior of pursuing personal glory extends beyond the public square to sports, exams, the workplace, and our relationship with others. Within the church, having our glory as our chief goal can prove devastating to the church fulfilling its call to participate in Christ’s mission of making all things new. Peter understands it is essential to address our true and proper purpose by stressing whole-life discipleship as part of Christ’s charge to “Feed my sheep.”

The paradox of our purpose

Peter has laid out three essential paradoxes for the elect exiles of first-century Asia Minor who long for encouragement to flourish in their context. After explaining the paradox of our identity, the paradox of hope, and the paradox of our obedience, Peter introduces the fourth and final paradox, which he sees as an essential reality for all Christians: the paradox of our purpose. 

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a paradox is “a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that, when investigated or explained, may prove to be well founded or true.” What is the paradox of our purpose? We were created to find our ultimate happiness in glorifying someone else.

As question 1 of the Westminster Confession of Faith, Shorter Catechism states,

“What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”

This paradox presents several questions requiring resolution before its full weight is understood and applied. The starting point is recognizing that we often make decisions in a quest for glory and to avoid shame and rejection. But, due to the fall, those efforts frequently revolve around seeking our own glory. This is where Peter applies the paradox of our purpose. 

The Role of Cravings

Peter starts by making it clear that we have cravings. Yet, this entire letter, like this study of developing a posture of faithful presence for the public square, is about embracing the reality that we are called to be different. Being different is all about contrasts. God calls Christians to have different cravings. In order to grow up into the salvation given to us in our redemption, we must pay attention to our cravings because our cravings drive our actions to achieve our purpose. 

Peter says, “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

Peter understands that there are two types of cravings. We can crave “malice and deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”  Of course, no one says that is what they crave, but when we adopt a purpose rather than the one God gives us, these cravings will often get us what we want - the world’s recognition of our personal glory. Whether the glory is fleeting or temporary, we become convinced that these ultimately destructive cravings will get us what our hearts desire. Consider how the cravings of deceit, hypocrisy, and envy got Richard Nixon what he wanted – at least temporarily. 

Thinking Spiritually

Peter calls the elect exiles to “crave the pure spiritual milk of Christ.” What does that mean? To understand that, we must first dismiss the idea that spiritual means not real. In the Scriptures, spiritual never means not real. Instead, it means having an origin outside of this material world. So, what is the spiritual milk that Peter is talking about? While some have said that this means “the Word,” that may be a bit short-sided. More likely, Peter is talking about all that comes from Christ, not just the WORD of God, but also grace and mercy, forgiveness, dignity, self-worth, and obedience. In other words, Peter is saying that we, like the elect exiles of Asia Minor, should take all of our nourishment from Christ. 

Taking our nourishment from Christ rather than ourselves is something that we must do intentionally. It also involves not giving in to other cravings. This call is echoed in Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside (or put away) every weight.” Peter calls us to make a decision on the cravings we embrace and the purpose we pursue. 

Redirecting Our Cravings

This redirection of our cravings is not easy or pleasant - at least initially. We learn this in the contrasts of breakfast cereals as we grow up. Grape Nuts (™) is good for you but tastes like cardboard and has the texture of gravel. Conversely, Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch (™) is loaded with crunchy, sugary goodness, but the only healthy part of that breakfast is the milk in the bowl. 

 Here, Peter is commanding us to redirect our cravings - cravings that will bring perceived glory and avoid the shame cast on us by those who value the same. As C.S. Lewis pointed out in his outstanding essay, The Weight of Glory, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased.” 

Peter’s words are crucial for those serving and leading in the public square. Nothing Peter says is intended to lessen anyone’s drive for excellence or glory. Peter proposes that Christians find their purpose in pursuing God’s glory rather than their own. Placing the glory of God as our primary purpose removes, or at least diminishes, the ever-present and sinful “works of the flesh” that accompany our efforts when we are the focus. 

Questions for application:

How often are you aware of whether you are prioritizing your own glory over seeking glory for God? Are there particular situations that tend to make this battle of cravings more acute? 

Reflecting upon Lewis’s assertion that “we are far too easily pleased,” what actions could you take in your life to gain a deeper understanding of a “holiday at the sea?”

How are your personal devotional life and church-based discipleship program contributing to redirecting your cravings?

• Cabinet Agency: The servants and leaders at the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), which is the primary statistical agency of the Department of Justice. BJS collects, analyzes, publishes, and disseminates information on crime, criminal offenders, crime victims, and criminal justice operations.
• Think Tank, Lobby group, NGO: The advocacy team at Arnold Ventures, which identifies solutions that work through research, piloting and evaluation, and model policy development (including data-driven justice). Arnold Ventures supports policy change through public education, technical assistance, strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders, and relationships with key policymaking officials at all levels of government.
• Weekly delegation: The Congressional delegation from the state of New York. 
• News: For the many individuals working on transition planning for the incoming administration and agency officials working on efficiently transferring power. The massive reorganization currently underway at the Food and Drug Administration. 
• Personal requests: Multiple individual interviews for positions in the incoming administration. For someone deciding between multiple opportunities in the new administration. For a couple taking their first extended vacation as a married couple. For a couple in the process of adopting from Korea. For a married couple and their infant child settling into a foreign service position. For someone considering a run for office. 

• Read this first → The C.S. Lewis Institute is offering a wonderful advent devotional that features daily reflections on passages from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, with insights from archaeology and biblical history, and exploring biblical prophecies and their fulfillment in the coming of Jesus the Messiah.
• Redeemer City-to-City has a pastorally helpful article from Abraham Cho on the impact of the stories we tell ourselves and the benefit of rewriting them to fit a gospel narrative.
• Read this next → Reformed Journal has a timely article for everyone by Chuck DeGroat, focusing on moving away from the “disconnecting response” to sin and suffering. This article may prove especially helpful to those for whom the holidays provide a month-long journey through past pain and trauma. 
• The Center for Public Justice has an excellent essay on the role of families in youth diversion programs, highlighting essential factors for implementing restorative justice. 
• The Barna Group has released an insightful study on “The Tricky Mix of Politics and Pastoring.”
• First Things has an important perspective from Dr. Calum Miller on what an increasingly choice-sympathetic GOP means for the pro-life movement. 

During Thanksgiving week, most of Washington is shut down for business. Enjoy!

• Daily, Nov. 28, 2024 - Jan 5, 2025, 10 am - 5 pm. Holiday Exhibit at the United States Botanic Garden. Explore the plants of the holidays with us! This year’s “Season’s Greenings” features thousands of poinsettias, D.C. landmarks made from plants inside the Conservatory, model trains in the outdoor gardens, and festive lights and decor throughout the Garden.
• Daily, 12:00 - 8:00 pm, The Downtown DC Holiday Market will occupy the street and sidewalk on F Street between 7th and 9th Streets, NW. Now in its 20th year, its bright lights bring Penn Quarter and Chinatown to life, providing a holiday spark to the neighborhood (closed on Nov. 28).
• Daily, 12:00 - 8:00 pm, The DC Holiday Market at Dupont Circle will feature 30-plus small businesses with artisans, boutique brands, worldwide handcrafts, and unique gift items from Nov. 22 to Dec. 15 (closed on Nov. 28).
• Daily, Nov. 29 – Dec. 5, DC Cocktail Week features dozens of DC restaurants participating in this celebration of mixology curated by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington.

From the opening scene depicting a drunk Santa at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade to the heart-warming and tear-evoking final scene in the “perfect little home” Santa provided, there is nothing about this classic holiday film to criticize. Featuring excellent performances from Maureen O’Hara and a young Natalie Wood, this is a movie that our family watches together every year - in black and white. At its heart, this is a movie about how three people navigate the intersection of faith and reason in their own lives and the role that each person plays in helping the other in their own navigation. What makes this film so timeless is the ever-present place of family, virtue, and hope in the lives of each primary character.

Those serving and leading in the public square will also appreciate that the film touches on the legal system’s role in settling disputes, the implication of elections on decision-making, and even the place the United States Postal Service plays in confirming and affirming reality.