PASTOR'S MESSAGE

   

“Jesus, Our Living Stone

1 Peter 2:2-10

 (Preacher: Reverend Gary L. Buss)

 

The first grade teacher was reading the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’ to her class.  She came to the part of the story where the first pig was trying to accumulate the building materials for his home.  She read, “And so the pig went up to the man with the wheelbarrow full of straw and said, ‘Pardon me, sir, but may I have some of that straw to build my house?’”  The teacher paused and then asked the class, “And what do you think the man said?”  One little boy raised his hand and said, “I think he said, “Wow!  A talking pig!’”

Of course, the point of the story is not the amazing idea of talking pigs.  It’s the amazing fact that they used the wrong building materials.  After all, if you build with straw or wood, it won’t be as sturdy as building with brick or stone.  It won’t stand up to the huffing and puffing of the big, bad wolf.  Interestingly enough, that same principle is also true when it comes to the Church, not the building, but the Kingdom of God.  You see, in order to rescue us from that wily wolf – Satan – God the Master Builder, has constructed for us the fortress of the Church.  And He uses only the best materials.  He has erected our Christian faith on the foundation of Jesus Christ our Savior, using the Word and Sacraments, Baptism and the Holy Scriptures to build us up in our saving faith in Him.   Yes, God has hand-crafted each of us to be His temple.  And he wants us to use our spiritual gifts, our unique talents and abilities, to edify one another and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

That’s what St. Peter was talking about in our Epistle lesson for today, when he said:  “AS YOU COME TO HIM, A LIVING STONE REJECTED BY MEN BUT IN THE SIGHT OF GOD CHOSEN AND PRECIOUS, 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.”  In other words, you and I as God’s people are like stones that God has formed together to build the Church.  You’ll notice that Peter doesn’t call us bricks.  That’s because bricks are all the same shape and size.  Instead, he calls us stones, because stones have a wonderful variety to them, just like people.  They come in all kinds of colors and forms, with unusual facets like each of us has.  And God blends us all together with our different gifts and abilities to form the temple of His Church.

The only problem is that stones, by nature, are dead and lifeless.  They have no power or ability of their own to do anything.  And that’s what you and I are like in our sinful flesh.  For example, a museum in Italy houses four partially finished statues by Michelangelo.  They were intended for the tomb of Pope Julius, but the artist left them unfinished.  He called them ‘The Captives.’  They are blocks of marble with a hand or a head protruding, as if the figure was struggling to be released.  It’s as though they were trying to break out of their prison to become what they were intended to be, but never fully realized.

The Bible tells us in no uncertain terms that by nature we are all slaves to sin.  We are like those marble statues, held captive to our wicked desires and unable to break free on our own.  We exhibit that in the way we frequently quarrel with one another over the stupidest things, or selfishly put our wants first to the detriment of others, or struggle over who’s in control of things even in the church.  In that way, our sin imprisons us and prevents us from being all that God intended us to be.  And the end result of our sin is the eternal prison cell of God’s wrath and punishment.  Which is what St. Peter was referring to in our text, when he said:  “THEY STUMBLE BECAUSE THEY DISOBEY THE WORD – AS THEY WERE DESTINED TO DO.”  What he meant was that our sinful disobedience has us destined for the ultimate stumble or fall; namely, the condemnation of eternal death in hell.

However, God in His infinite mercy and grace has destined us for something much better.  He destined us for eternal life in His heavenly kingdom.  That’s why our text calls us His ‘chosen’ people, because He chose us before the foundation of the world to be His own, to be members of His holy family, the Church.  And to make that a reality, He sent His son Jesus Christ to release us from our slavery to sin and to rescue us from the imprisonment of death and hell.  And in our Baptism He sent the Holy Spirit to plant in us the gift of faith, so that we can believe in Jesus.  In our text, Peter refers to Jesus as the Living Stone, chosen and precious to God.  Now a living stone is not a natural rock, but one cut for special use, like a precious gemstone.  And that’s exactly what Jesus is like.  He is our supernatural Savior, who was chosen by God for the special purpose of saving us, hewn by His love, if you will, to bring us the precious gemstone of pardon, absolution and eternal life. 

It is no accident that in Scripture the altar itself was made of stones, pointing forward to the Altar of the Cross, where Jesus our Living Stone died to destroy the power of sin and death, and shed His blood to wash away all our unrighteousness.  As a matter of fact, His cleansing blood is the mortar that holds us all together as the Church.  And He is called the Living Stone, because He not only died to release us from our sin, but He also rose again triumphant from the grave, to transform us from dead, lifeless rocks into living stones, alive with His forgiveness and salvation.

That’s what St. Peter was getting at in our text, when he said that now:  “YOU ARE A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR HIS OWN POSSESSION.”  It’s the translation of the Old Testament phrase, God’s treasured possession.  My friends, that’s what you are now like to God, because of Jesus Christ and what He did at the cross and grave.  You are God’s treasured possession, because He has made you holy and sinless in the blood of Christ.  You are like a beautiful, precious gemstone to Him, because you have been justified by grace, declared righteous in God’s sight through faith in Jesus Christ.

We might think of it this way: God is the proud Papa, who has your picture in his wallet.  And He takes it out every chance He gets and shows you off.  He says, “That’s my boy.  Isn’t he great!  That’s my girl.  Isn’t she beautiful!  They’re perfect, absolutely perfect and I love them!”  You see, that’s how God now looks at us – not because of anything good or holy in us, but because in our Baptism He has connected us to Jesus the Living Stone, and for His sake God declares us perfect and holy!

That’s what it means to say that we are God’s ‘chosen people.’  In fact, in the Greek text the word chosen actually means:  ‘to call out.’  And that’s just what God has done for us in our Savior Jesus Christ.  In the words of our text:  “HE HAS CALLED US OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT!”  At one time you and I were in darkness – trapped in the cold, clammy, confining darkness of the tomb – a tomb of our own making, fashioned from our sin and iniquity.  But through the Gospel, God has called us out of the dark tomb of our sin and iniquity and brought us into the marvelous light of His love and forgiveness.  And all thanks to Jesus Christ our Living Stone!

Dear friends, that’s why it’s so important that you and I remain connected to Jesus our Living Stone.  And the only way that can happen is if we keep on using the Word and Sacraments, by daily study of Scripture and weekly worship in God’s House.  Which is why St. Peter encourages to be like newborn infants, longing for the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word.  Whenever I read those words, I chuckle to myself, because it seems like Peter is using a humorous form of understatement.  Babies don’t just long for milk; they scream for it.  They cry and holler until they get it.  Likewise, you and I should cry out for the Means of Grace, and allow nothing to separate us from them.  For that’s how we stay connected to Jesus, our Living Stone.

And the reason that’s so crucial is, as Peter reminds us, because Jesus is the cornerstone and the capstone of the Church.  The cornerstone is the foundation stone of the structure.  It’s the point of reference for the straightness of the building.  If it’s off a little bit, the walls wind up being crooked.  So, if we are not connected to Jesus by being in His Word and Sacraments, our lives wind up being crooked.  Likewise, Jesus is also the capstone, which is the top stone of an arch that holds it together and keeps the building from crumbling in on itself.  Only by being in Sunday School and Bible Class, Worship and prayer can Jesus hold our lives together and keep us from falling apart.  And that’s why we need to remain connected to Jesus our Living Stone!

Jill was discussing the various aspects and possible outcome of her insurance policy with the salesman at the insurance agency.  During the discussion, she asked, “Suppose I take the life insurance for my husband today and tomorrow he dies.  What will I get?”  The agent eyed her suspiciously and replied, “Probably a life sentence.”

Although that is what we deserve for our sin, the Good News is that we don’t get it.  Instead, by His death and resurrection Jesus has granted us the reprieve of forgiveness and salvation.  By Baptism and faith in Him we have the true life insurance policy – eternal life in heaven, for He has built us up as living stones in the temple of His kingdom.  And that’s what enables us, then, to build others up with the Gospel.  That’s what Peter referred to as ‘the royal priesthood.’  The way we serve as royal priests is by daily keeping our eyes open for opportunities to share our faith with others, praying for the lost, inviting them to church, and telling them the Good News of Jesus our Living Stone.  That’s how we proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.  May God help us to do that for His glory and praise.  Amen.

          

  

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