The Living Stone

Read 1 Peter 2:4-8

Context: This is part of our reading assignment for the week. I decided to send it in 'The Message' version for a different perspective.

Text:

4-8Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you'll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:

Look! I'm setting a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone in the place of honor.
Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation
will never have cause to regret it.
To you who trust him, he's a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,

The stone the workmen threw out
is now the chief foundation stone.
For the untrusting it's
.. . a stone to trip over,
a boulder blocking the way.
They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted. (msg)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

Is there anything on earth that seems less alive than a stone? Yet the stone is given great power throughout the Bible. Jacob set up several memorials to God using large stones. With God's help, Moses caused water to flow from one. They are used as pillows, chairs, building blocks, and foundations. Stones can become weapons, protection, barriers, tools, and altars. Jesus said he could raise up children for Abraham from the stones, and he knew that they would cry out in praise if the people were silenced. And even a very large one could not hold back the resurrected body of our Lord.

In our passage, Jesus is called 'the cornerstone'.The cornerstone is a key piece in the building process -- all other rocks or bricks are lined up with it. If the cornerstone is true and square, the building will be strong. But each rock has to be lined up directly with the cornerstone, not with the stone it is placed next to, or over time the walls will no longer be straight.

Jesus is our firm foundation, our true guide in living our lives. If we line up our lives with his, his church cannot be shaken. But if we look to man to be our guide, over time we will lose our direction. If we stay true to our cornerstone, we will all become living stones, creating a church that provides protection, direction, and a weapon by which Satan will fall.

Just think, you are part of a real, live rock group!