Devotion for May 26, 2011 – Living Stones
Photo: Pam Broviak (Creative Commons license)
Today's Scripture Reading
1 Peter 2:2-10
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 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.
Today's Devotion
The leaders of DisciplesNet Church have been working hard to develop a congregation in which people who can’t worship in a local “brick and mortar” congregation may find a welcoming and nurturing community of faith. There’s been new technology to buy and learn, like video cameras and video editing. There has been paperwork to complete and people to meet so that this congregation has appropriate connections and accountability with the larger church. One of the things still under development, and is months behind schedule, is The Café. This is the part of the web site that will support fellowship and ministry among members. It’s been a little frustrating, honestly, to be behind schedule on this important element because the leaders don’t envision DisciplesNet as a web site where people just passively watch videos. This is a living congregation in which we know each other and care for each other.
The letter we know as 1 Peter reminds us that no matter how timely this congregation’s web site is developed or its video-editing skills become or its inventory of fancy equipment grows, it is through tasting God’s goodness through Jesus the Christ that we will grow into salvation. Only by offering ourselves as a living stone can God build a spiritual house with us. Like the early church -- peopled with Greeks and Hebrews, slaves and wealthy business women, spread around the known world -- we become one fellowship of believers because of God’s faithfulness and not because we are all the same. We become one in Christ so that we may proclaim that it is God who called us out of the shadows into the light.
Holy God, we know your faithfulness starting with the Hebrew scriptures like were quoted in 1 Peter, and in the Second Testament. We know your faithfulness in our lives. Because you first loved us, we desire to proclaim your love with each other and in the world. Please use this fellowship of faith, this Eucharistic community, for your healing work. Amen.
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