Creekside Church Sermon of May 8, 2005 "Building a Spiritual House" I Peter 2:4-8 Ephesians 2:19-22	Betty Kelsey
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CHRIST THE LIVING STONE - BUILDING THE FOUNDATION

While I don't know a lot about construction and even less about a building made of stones, any building project starts with the foundation. Foundations are carefully thought out and designed for stability. The terrain is considered and prepared, the materials are selected with care. Every effort is made to keep the stones level and snugly fitted together. As the construction moves to the second and succeeding levels, every additional stone depends on and adheres to the foundation in one way or another. Peter describes God's Church in terms of a building in which God himself chose and laid the foundation. As we know from a favorite hymn, "The Church's One Foundation is Jesus Christ Our Lord."

Likewise, Scripture refers to Jesus as the Cornerstone-in fact, the Chief Cornerstone. I gather from my reading that a cornerstone is the most crucial one in a structure. The cornerstone is used as a measure to be sure the foundation is square and level. It is strategically placed in the foundation to bear the weight of the structure and assure stability. The cornerstone must prove itself trustworthy against rains and frosts, tempests and floods to withstand cracking. Jesus, who endured suffering and death because he had our best interest at heart, is our Cornerstone. Jesus, who bears the weight of our redemption, is the Church's tried and tested Foundation.

A story is told about the building of Solomon's temple-I can't vouch for its truth or accuracy, but the story says something profound to me. In II Chronicles we learn that Solomon used 80,000 stonecutters and 70,000 carriers of stone for this project. The stonework took place in a field outside Jerusalem. Each piece was hewn to be perfectly fitted so that no chisel was needed once the stone was carried to the building site. Yet when the workmen carried the stones to the site, there was one stone of peculiar size and shape that the workmen could find no place for. It became an annoyance as it lay unused in their way.

As the building progressed, the builders were ready to lay the cornerstone. They searched long and hard to find a stone of sufficient size and strength and proper shape for this particular spot. This piece had to be capable of resisting the influence of sun, frost and tempest in order to handle the pressure of immense weight to come. The workmen tried piece after piece, but each in turn cracked under the stress. Finally one of the workers uncovered the unusual stone that had earlier been tossed aside. This stone had endured the weather and mistreatment of the construction site and stood up to the test. When the men hoisted the piece into its strategic place, it fit perfectly and had the strength needed for the job. In prophetic vision, Isaiah saw this stone as a symbol of Christ. "The stone that the builders rejected,"-finish it with me--"became the cornerstone of a whole new world!"

As you prepare to meditate on the images that will be projected on the screen, consider these words from Psalm 62:5-8:

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God. He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge. Selah.

WE BECOME LIVING STONES - COMPLETING THE BUILDING

God's Church cannot be build of foundation stones alone. It takes many stones to create the walls--stones fitted tightly together, depending and adhering to the solid foundation. Sometimes a stone needs to be knocked off a bit here, chiseled there, sanded and smoothed in order to help it fit perfectly in its place. Connected to God our foundation, we are fitted together to form his spiritual dwelling, becoming God's living stones. Gently and firmly we are chiseled, sanded and rubbed together by life's experiences to become a perfect fit with each other and with Christ, the foundation and cornerstone. Every stone in the structure of God's spiritual house is important to its strength, whether in a place of prominence or faithfully holding its place in an obscure corner.

In most stone or brick construction, mortar is an important adhesive that holds the building material together. It occurs to me that the mortar used in God's spiritual house is love. Mortar made of fear easily cracks and crumbles. Love can make it stronger as the years go by.

Right now the myriad pieces that will be used to construct our new church are totally separate-lumber at the lumberyard, carpet in the warehouse, nails in the hardware store, and concrete not even mixed up yet. All are pieces that have little in common until the time they are chosen to become part of Creekside Church of the Brethren. Likewise, God brings together people who have little in common in their daily walks of life, yet Jesus Christ fits them together as living stones to form his Church.

Most of you know what the Taj Mahal is. It's regarded as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. The structure was built by Emperor Shah Jahan after his wife died. The Shah was devastated by her death, and resolved to build a fitting temple that would serve as her tomb. Her coffin was placed in the center of a large parcel of land, and construction of the temple began around it. No expense was spared to make it magnificent.

But as weeks turned into months, the Shah's grief over his wife's death turned into a passion for the building project. He no longer mourned her absence. The construction consumed him. One day, while walking from one side of the construction site to the other, his leg bumped against a wooden box. The Shah brushed the dust off his leg and in agitation ordered a worker to throw out the box. What Shah Jahan didn't know is that he had ordered the disposal of the coffin of his late wife. And so the one the temple was intended to honor was forgotten, but the temple was erected anyway.

There is the same danger with church buildings and with churches. If we're not careful, we can forget the purpose for which we were constructed. We can become so consumed with the building process that we forget the one in whose honor the building is intended.
One author says, "We don't exist so that people can say, 'What a great building this is.' We don't even exist so that people can say, 'What a great bunch of people this is.' We exist so that people can look at us and say, 'What a great God!'"

Once when walking the labyrinth at St. Mary's I picked up a beautiful black stone, smooth and perfectly oval like an egg. I am always amazed how cold it feels to the touch when I first pick it up. But after holding it in the palm of my hand, the stone gets incredibly warm. It reminds me of being held in the palm of God's hand. Even if I feel cold and distant from God, God in his grace can pick me up and hold me gently in his hand until my heart begins to warm toward him. At those times I feel like a living stone, connected and perfectly fitted into God's spiritual house.

As we come to our second opportunity for silent meditation, pick up the stone you were given today and hold it in your hand as you reflect on the images on the screen. Stones are not just for building. Stones and rocks in their natural settings put us in awe of our Creator.

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