Weekly Devotion no 49
4 June 2021
Bible reading – 1 Peter 2:4-10[1]
4 Christ is the living Stone. People did not accept him,
but God chose him. God places the highest value on him. 5 You
also are like living stones. As you come to Christ, you are being built into a house
for worship. There you will be holy priests. You will offer spiritual
sacrifices. God will accept them because of what Jesus Christ has done. 6 In
Scripture it says,
“Look! I am placing a stone in Zion.
It is a chosen and very valuable
stone.
It is the most important stone in
the building.
The one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”[1]
7 This stone is very valuable to you
who believe. But to people who do not believe,
“The stone the builders did not accept
has become the most important
stone of all.”[2]
8 And,
“It is a stone that causes people to trip.
It is a rock that makes them
fall.”[3]
They trip and fall because they do
not obey the message. That is also what God planned for them.
9 But God chose you to be his people. You are royal
priests. You are a holy nation. You are God’s special treasure. You are all
these things so that you can give him praise. God brought you out of darkness
into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a
people. But now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy. But
now you have received mercy.
Reflection
We’re in lockdown yet again. We can easily feel a sense of despair as we face the isolation of no visitors and the lack of physical connection with family and friends. There is a weariness this time around and you might be finding that you are feeler sadder or more irritable than you did during last year. The constant change can be unsettling and potentially disorientating.
Our passage today gives us a picture of what it is to be God’s people, using the imagery of a stone building. In this time of change and instability, we are reminded that Jesus is the cornerstone, the foundation, the rock on which we stand. He is steadfast and sure. He is dependable. He doesn’t change.
And we are like
living stones. You might not feel like a living stone right now. But because of
what Jesus has done for us on the cross, reconciling us to God, he is building
us up as his people, a community, living lives for the glory of God. In a time
when we might wonder about our purpose, this reminds us that God has chosen us
to be his people, that he is building us up in community, on the foundation
that is Jesus Christ, our Saviour. And so we can be people of hope as we live
in the light of God, not in the darkness of this world. And we are not solitary
stones, but we are being built up together in faith. We are not alone. We are a
people, a nation, precious to God. May we know this day how treasured we are by
God and may we seek to give him all praise and glory.
Hymn
Verse 1
Christ is made the sure foundation,
Christ the head and cornerstone,
chosen of the Lord and precious,
binding all the church in one;
holy Zion's help forever,
and her confidence alone.
Verse 2
All that dedicated city,
dearly loved of God on high,
in exultant jubilation
pours perpetual melody;
God the One in Three adoring
in glad hymns eternally.
Verse 3
To this temple, where we call thee,
come, O Lord of hosts, today:
with thy wonted loving-kindness
hear thy people as they pray;
and thy fullest benediction
shed within its walls
alway.
Verse 4
Here vouchsafe to all thy servants
what they ask of thee to gain,
what they gain from thee forever
with the blessed to retain,
and hereafter in thy glory
evermore with thee to reign.
Verse 5
Laud and honour to the Father,
laud and honour to the Son,
laud and honour to the Spirit,
ever Three and ever One,
One in might, and One in glory,
while unending ages run.
Prayer
Lord
God of the nations,
you
have revealed your will to all people
and
promised us your saving help:
help us
to hear and do what you command,
that
the darkness may be overcome by the power of your light;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one
God, now and for ever. Amen.
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