Set Upon the Cornerstone

Today Charlie preached on 1 Peter:4-8:

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

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

and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

As he spoke about what this passage says about who Jesus is and who we are, I was struck by a thought regarding Jesus as the cornerstone. We often think of this in terms of making Jesus the cornerstone of our lives, so that he is the sure, strong, perfect foundation for all of the rest of what we build with our days. The passage, though, speaks of God setting the cornerstone, and then goes on to say we are stones too, "being built into a spiritual house." I think both readings are accurate, but I can't help but think that the image of Christ as the cornerstone set by God and we as the living stones set upon that cornerstone is the more powerful image. We ourselves are being built into the church. And there are so many ways that the Bible tells us of this truth: through the grafting of branches, through adoption, as the body of Christ. In all of these life-pictures, we get a glimpse of our reality. 

We are his: in him, rooted, set on the foundation, and beloved. Because of who Jesus is, we are as he is. Precious. Chosen. 

May I not be one to stumble and fall. And when I do fall, Lord, pick me up and set me aright.