I love visiting church buildings. There are so many different architectural designs. I remember when I first entered this building, I was struck by the beautiful simplicity of the sanctuary, the perfect symmetry, and just the large space that it provides for people to worship together.
But I also appreciate other architectural church designs. My previous church had beautiful stained glass windows. There were times on a Sunday morning when the early morning sun would often shine at just the right angle through one of those vivid and multi-colored stained glass windows. It was so striking that I would have to pause my sermon and appreciate that glorious gift of God’s light shining into our sanctuary.
Several years ago, I officiated at a wedding at a large church in Indiana. That sanctuary was in the shape of a cross so that when the people gathered for worship, they actually were forming the cross of Jesus.
I’ve been thinking about that particular sanctuary design because of our appointed New Testament scripture reading from I Peter, chapter 2. The apostle Peter is reminding us that we as people of faith are “living stones.”
In verse 4, Peter writes, “Come to him (meaning Jesus) a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
As one of our hymns reminds us, “The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple. We are the church. You are the church. We are the church together!”Peter is reminding us that the church is not the building. It’s the people. It’s people like you and me who have been called by God to be the church together.
Our church was especially reminded of this back in 1955 when the building prior to this one was destroyed by a fire. That happened on an early Saturday morning when it burnt down but it didn’t stop the congregation from worshipping that very next morning just a block from here at Memaud Auditorioum on the OU campus.
Nothing was going to stop the congregation from being the church, not even a devastating fire because the people knew that the church was more than the building! They were the church together!
For the first 15 years of our church’s history, from 1800 to 1815, we didn’t even have a church building. The people met for prayer and worship in people’s homes during those early years.
So yes, we know a little bit about what Peter is talking about in this scripture reading. We are the living stones that make up Athens First United Methodist Church.
Speaking of the 1955 fire that destroyed our previous church building, it took three years for the congregation to build our current church building. In April, 1957, a little less than one year before the new building would be finally completed, the congregation held an outside cornerstone laying ceremony. They had their regular worship service at Memaud Auditorium and then walked over to this location for that special cornerstone ceremony.
We actually have a video from that day on April 28, 1957 when that cornerstone ceremony was held. Let’s watch a brief portion of that video that happened 66 years ago. One of the church members at the time, John Dowler describes this event for us.
By the way, this video and another one are on our church’s website. Just look for the “Our History” tab and click on it and you’ll see a couple of videos related to our church’s history.
The reason that I mention this is that during that cornerstone laying ceremony, one of the prayers had this little phrase that we have been using as one of our daily prayers. We call it the 4:57 prayer with 4 referring to the month of April and 57 referring to the year when this cornerstone service was held.
When I saw this little phrase in that prayer, it just really stood out for me because it reminds us that it’s not really about the bricks and mortar of a new church building. It’s about God’s spirit at work in each of our lives.
Here’s the 4:57 prayer: “O God, baptize us afresh with the life-giving Spirit of Jesus.” Say that with me, “O God, baptize us afresh with the life-giving Spirit of Jesus.”
It’s an easy prayer to remember for us to say at 4:57 each day to remind us that we are each living stones. “Baptize us afresh with the life-giving Spirit of Jesus.”
This is what Peter is wanting us to remember in this part of his letter. Remember, that you are living stones whose foundation is Jesus Christ who is our church’s cornerstone. The church isn’t referring to the building. It’s primarily the people in the congregation who are helping one another to be built into a spiritual house.
In fact, Peter even expands beyond referring to us as living stones. Peter reminds us that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people! And so, if you are ever feeling down on yourself, remember these titles that God has given you. You are part of a royal priesthood because Jesus Christ is your chief cornerstone!
Peter emphasizes this point in the last verse of this scripture passage by saying, “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” God has given us this identity in order that we may proclaim the mighty acts of God who has called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light.
This is what it means to be baptized and to be part of the church family. We have been claimed by God to not only live in God’s light but to shine God’s light to the people around us.
I see the many ways that each one of you live out what it means to be living stones for God. You are constantly shining God’s marvelous light in so many wonderful ways through welcoming people to church, especially those who are here for the first time.
You shine God’s marvelous light by offering your gift of music, by teaching a children’s Sunday School class, by serving as a confirmation mentor, by coordinating our Angel Tree ministry so that children can receive Christmas gifts, by helping to serve meals for Monday Lunch.
You shine God’s marvelous light by being there by someone’s side when their spouse is critically ill in the hospital. You shine God’s marvelous light by arranging and delivering flowers to the patients and staff at the hospital. You shine God’s marvelous light when you offer your gift of music through our music ministry.
You shine God’s marvelous light by praying for the prayer needs of our congregation on Tuesday mornings, by serving as a small group facilitator, by offering your time as a worship reader, preparing Sunday morning refreshments, stocking our Blessing Box shelves with non-perishable food. You shine God’s marvelous light by making prayer shawls for people who are going through a difficult time in their lives, by serving as a Stephen Minister and offering a listening ear to someone who is facing a transition in their lives.
You shine God’s marvelous light by providing a meal for a grieving family, by serving as an AV volunteer so that people who can’t attend worship are still able to worship with us online. And God bless those of you who share God’s marvelous light by repairing things around the church, something for which pastors are always eternally grateful.
I remember a conversation that I had with Todd Bradford who was our Maintenance Director when I came to this church 8 years ago. I said to him one day, “Todd, I can’t repair anything. In fact, I probably break half of the things that you have to fix in this church!”
And I’ll never forget what Todd said to me. He said, “Well, there is no way that I can do what you do as pastor. We all have our different gifts.”
He made me feel so much better about myself! It’s OK to not be able to do what you see others doing. Let them do their thing. You do your thing. That’s what makes the church such a special place when we are all doing our thing and when we are each shining God’s marvelous light in our own unique ways.
You are each living stones that make up this beautiful church. You are each part of a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and God’s own people. That is your truest identity in life and there is nothing in this entire world that can ever, ever offer you anything more valuable than that.
Oh, and did you notice from our appointed Gospel reading today that as God’s royal priesthood and living stones, you also get a house! Jesus said to his disciples as he was preparing to leave them, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.”
And your house isn’t just waiting for you in heaven, it’s wherever you are gathered with God’s people like we are doing today. We are the living stones that make up God’s house with Jesus Christ being the cornerstone.
To help us remember who we are and that we are living stones who make up the church together, we are invited to remember our baptism this morning.
When you come forward to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, you are also invited to first come to the baptismal font, dip your hand in the water and take one of the small stones from that bowl of water to take with you. Let that small stone always remind you that you are part of God’s royal family and a living stone who shines God’s marvelous light.
May we each be baptized afresh with the life-giving Spirit of Jesus.
A Living Stone
Lord Jesus, thank you for being the church’s one foundation. Forgive us for when we have not acknowledged you as our true cornerstone. Once we were not your people, but now we are your people. Once we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy. Thank you for calling us out of darkness and into your marvelous light. We are so blessed to be part of the family of God. With grateful hearts, we pray. Amen.
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