Listen

Now you are coming to him as to a living stone. Even though this stone was rejected by humans, from God’s perspective it is chosen, valuable. You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple. You are being made into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:4-5

Think

I’ve known for a long time that my name Peter means “rock.” Here in France, where I live, it is even more obvious, since the everyday word for stone is the same as the French version of my name: Pierre. This means that I tend to feel a sense of personal recognition when I hear in a bible passage that we are called to be living stones (pierres vivantes), and to be built together into a spiritual house.

But that call is not limited to those whose names literally mean “rock.” There is an open invitation for each of us to come to Jesus Christ, who is himself the living stone who has been both rejected by humans but honored by God. We are all invited to become living stones ourselves, building upon our different and complementary gifts. We are called to pile stone on stone, to put strength to strength, to construct a spiritual home and a sheltering place for ourselves and for the neighbors all around us. And, we’re told, such building up pleases God!

Peter Hanson

Pray

Jesus, you are the cornerstone, chosen and honored by God.

Help me to build on the foundation you have laid.

Amen.

Go

Go with good courage, not always knowing where you’re going, but trusting that God’s hand is leading you and God’s love is supporting you.

inspired by the “Prayer of Good Courage” by Erik Milner-White (1941)