“A surprising turn of events”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Wednesday, November 24, 2021

1 Peter 2:1-10 (Forward, p. 26) CEV p. 1278

It has all the hallmarks of a gothic novel.  An orphan who has been brought up in a rather dismal situation and who thinks nothing of his or her prospects or futures, discovers, all of a sudden, that he or she is of noble birth and destined to have a great and wondrous future.  As an example of this, just think of Harry Potter in the books bearing his name.  Growing up in the household of his less than caring aunt and uncle, the Dursleys, Harry has grown accustomed to thinking that he was pretty ordinary and really not much of a prospect for anything.  But then at his eleventh birthday, he discovers that he is quite famous and incredibly destined, or so it would seem, for some pretty incredible adventures.

Basically, that is what Peter is saying about us as believers.  Originally we were totally undistinguished, total nobodies.  We were the people whom everyone looked down upon, people toward which no one showed any pity.  In fact, it was worse than that: we, before we met Christ, were destined to living in darkness and unbelief.

But none of these were our true identity in Christ.  None of these depicted our true heritage and calling.  In fact, our true heritage and calling are quite phenomenal, quite splendid.  We, Peter says, are God’s chosen and special people.  Peter has three things to say about it:

a)   Firstly, we are living stones, stones meant to be built into a temple, a spiritual building where Christ dwells.  Any Jewish person who’d been to Jerusalem, indeed anyone who’d been to that city prior to the destruction of the Temple, would have been greatly impressed with its beauty and majesty.  And here, Peter is saying is that we, you and I, are to be the building blocks for something just as glorious, if not even better.

b)   Secondly, we are a holy priesthood, meant to offer, with the help of Jesus Christ, sacrifices that please and honour God.  For the Jewish people, the priesthood was something very select and very important.  It was not something that anyone could simply aspire to, but rather was something you were destined to by birth.  And so, to think that God had destined us, us ordinary people, to such an exalted and lofty and important calling.  Wow.

c)    And thirdly, we are a holy nation.  That indeed was Israel’s original calling, but it had never been able to live up to it.  But with Christ, that is indeed what we are and what we can be.  Obviously, it is not something that any of us can ever fully live into, but nevertheless, it is our calling and our identity.  And what it means is that we have a loyalty and a citizenship that is not wedded to this world, not subject to or enslaved to its norms and way of living.

Like Harry Potter and like the heroes and heroines of gothic novels, all of this is totally unexpected and totally brand new to us.  It is, indeed, a ‘surprising turn of events’, which is all the more reason to praise God and try to be faithful to this glorious new way of life and living.  Amen.

Forward notes: :For it stands in scripture: ‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’  To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner’” (verses 6-7).

“Christ is the living stone, the cornerstone, in the foundation of the church. When I think about this imagery, I am reminded of certain parts of the Lakota creation story and a ceremony.  The creation story begins with Inyan (the stone), which is considered the oldest living spirit.  In the ceremony, heated stones are brought into the Inipi (sweat lodge), and water is poured over them.  The steam that is created is the sacred, life-giving breath of Inyan.  It also cleanses the body.

“Sacred stones are also given to individuals as protection.  Our famous leader Crazy Horse was given a stone that had a hole in it that allowed him to wear it next to his ear.  It was given to him to wear in battle for protection.

“Christ is the living stone who gives life, a gift we all have through his sacrifice and love.”

Moving Forward: “How do you honour the living stone of Christ?”