1 Peter 1:3–9 — An Inheritance Incorruptible

Why families choose it

Peter writes to people already grieving and does not pretend otherwise — ‘ye are in heaviness’ sits in the same sentence as ‘ye greatly rejoice’, and the reading holds both without apology. The inheritance is described by three things it cannot do — corrupt, defile, fade — a deliberate contrast with everything a family has just watched end. For mourners who want the hope stated at full strength, but not at grief’s expense, this is the passage.

Reading it aloud

The opening sentence is long — verses three to five are a single breath in the King James — so choose your pauses beforehand: after ‘lively hope’, after ‘fadeth not away’, after ‘the last time’. Slow further at ‘though now for a season’, because that clause belongs to everyone present. And say ‘joy unspeakable and full of glory’ quietly rather than grandly; the words carry their own size.

In the programme, list it in the order of service as “Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 1:3–9” with the reader’s name beside it. The full text is public domain and may be printed on the life-story or back page.