Pick Me, Pick Me!

Pick Me, Pick Me!

“Chosen Lady”

Read: 2 John 1:1-3

PE was never my favorite class, and I especially dreaded the days when we divided into teams. Two girls were appointed as team captains, and one by one, they chose girls for their groups, starting with the most athletic ones, which did not include me. I stood in a line with the rest of the class, shifting from foot to foot. We tried to look unconcerned as we desperately hoped that we wouldn’t be chosen last.

The ancient letter of 2 John is addressed to “the chosen lady and . . . her children.” Scholars have debated what this phrase means. Some think that the term refers to a particular woman in a local congregation. Others speculate that John wrote to a woman whose name was similar to the Greek words for “chosen” or “lady.” Many people believe that the phrase refers to the local church and its members.

Whether John was addressing one woman or all believers, the word “chosen” must have had a nice ring to the women who heard the letter read as it made the rounds of the churches. They knew that at one time only the nation of Israel could claim to be God’s chosen people. Now, Jesus Christ had opened the way for all people to come to God on the basis of faith alone. These women knew that whatever the world thought of them, they were God’s chosen ones.

None of us want to be chosen last. It makes us feel that we’re not valued. Thankfully, God is not an earthly team captain. He’s not picking the most athletic or the most popular. When we accept God’s truth, we become his chosen women. It’s not a question of how long it will be before our names are called out, but of how long before we call on his name.

You are a chosen people.

1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)