Text: Acts 7:55-60 1 Peter 2:2-10 ( Series A. 5th Sunday of Easter) Ps. 31:1-5,15-16 John 14:1-14
Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people a worthless but chosen by God as valuable. Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ.
If I were to stand on the corner of Grand Boulevard and Sherbrooke and ask people passing by, ‘What Does It Mean To Be A Christian?’ Some people would answer that question by saying, A Christian is anyone who isn’t a Muslim, Jew, Hindu or atheist.
Others would say: A Christian is someone who has been christened, or baptized by a priest or pastor by pouring some water over his/her head, and then, at the age of 14, was confirmed. Whether that person ever darkens the door of a church again except for weddings and funerals doesn’t matter; that person is a Christian.
Some would say that we live in a Christian country and unless you state otherwise, you are a Christian. Others say that my parents were Christian or I went to Sunday School therefore I am a Christian.
Still others would answer the question this way, To be a Christian means to be gentle, kind, considerate, to make an honest effort to live by the golden rule and do good things. That constitutes a Christian.
Still, for others, they would answer the question this way: A person is a Christian if they believe in God, or "someone up there" or a guiding force, or someone watching over them, or some divine power or energy.
Some would say they are Christian because they worship God every time they do a round at the golf course, or walk along a trail in the bush, or sit quietly and watch the glorious colours of the sunset. And so, they say they are Christians.
If you were to conduct a survey, ‘What Does It Mean To Be A Christian? I am sure you would get answers which would fit any of those descriptions of what I have given. Most likely, you would even come across definitions from those who are critical of Christians.
They might say something like this, "Some Christians I know are the biggest hypocrites. They go to church on Sunday and on Monday they are busy cheating and gossiping." Or others might say, "Christians are some of the stupidest people around – going to church every Sunday, believing that there is something after this life".
What does it means to be a Christian? The name "Christian" comes from the name of Christ. To be a Christian has something to do with Jesus Christ. In fact, there is no such thing as a Christian who does not believe, trust and hope in Jesus Christ. Didn’t we hear Jesus say to his disciples in the gospel reading from John 14 just a few moments ago, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me" (John 14:6). A bit later Jesus says, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). In other words, if anyone wants to know what God is like then they need look no further than Jesus. Get to know Jesus and you will get to know what God is like. There is no such thing as a christless Christianity – a Christianity that is based on the "golden rule" or the beauty of nature or "someone up there" or because your parents sent you to Sunday School in the distant past is not Christianity at all. But religiosity or Churchianity!
A Christian then is someone who trusts in and relies on Jesus, and has a personal relationship with Christ. Jesus is at the every heart and soul of everything that the Christian does. Then we heard from St Peter this morning who gives us another angle of what a Christian is.
He says, "Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple". Peter calls Christians "stones". To be called a stone is not all that complimentary – stones are hard, cold, sharp, solid, unbending, inflexible and when these qualities are applied to human characteristics they aren’t very flattering.
But note Peter calls us living stones. Stones naturally don’t have life. In fact, they are about as dead as anything could be. If they are to be living stones then they have to be given life. Christians are living stones only because they have been given life. Once they were dead, lost, useless because of their sin, but Jesus has given those worthless stones life. Jesus has changed those worthless stones into something new and exciting and precious – he has changed them through his death on the cross. Jesus has given those unresponsive, inactive stones life through baptism – a new life in this world and the world to come.
A couple of years ago I met young woman who was tormented by her past mistakes. Several years ago she got on the women’s liberation band- wagon and led a life style that brought her misery and sorry as a result.
I am talking about a person who wasn’t religious to begin with. She had therapies to deal with her guilt but of avail. She was hard, up set, and self up solved. When we met I listen to her story, and then said to her God is able to take away your guilt because of his forgiveness for whatever wrong we have ever done. Just believe and you will see the difference in your life.
It took several hours of visit and interaction to just bring her to the point of acknowledging the fact that her sins are forgiven, and her guilt are dealt with through the finished work of Christ on the cross. We are on the second stage of her healing: forgiving herself.
It is daunting, because it is one thing to believe and feel the forgiveness of God, and it is another thing to forgive oneself. But the amazing thing is through our interaction she accepted faith in Jesus Christ and growing in this new - found relationship with God. She is not totally out of the woods yet, but been changed from glory to glory.
Can you see what has happened here? I believe this is what Peter was getting at when he called Christians "living stones". We have been set free from everything that would cause us to be "stone-like". The life that Christ gives renews and recreates us. We are no longer dead but alive.
We have been renewed so that we can be his disciples serving those in our world who need our support, our love, our comfort and our compassion. That’s what Peter meant when he said, "Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy (ministers) priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ" (2:5,6).
It’s worth noting that Peter doesn’t talk in singulars here. He is talking, not about a stone, but about many stones. One stone by itself is of little use, but many stones together can make a mighty building. Some of the greatest buildings - castles, cathedrals, pyramids, walls, - are made of many stones joined together.
A stone that might have otherwise been useless becomes a part of something that is valuable and useful. God has joined the living stones, his people, into one temple, the church. We are living stones, part of that living community who seek to follow in the steps of Jesus, seeking new ways to serve, to love, to care for people, and tell others about the Good News about Jesus.
Christians are chosen people who have been brought together by God through baptism and joined to Jesus and to one another. We belong to God; we are the people of God, brought together to serve God, to tell others about his mighty deeds.
The great thing about being a Christian is that you are never a Christian in isolation from other Christians. The Bible always talks about Christians working together, worshipping together, praying together, caring for one another. From the first day of Pentecost, Christians got together.
Luke records in Acts: "The believers dedicated their time in learning from the apostles, taking part in the fellowship, and breaking of bread in the fellowship meals and the prayers. … and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:42,44).
May God help us understand ever deeper what it means to be a Christian " living stone", "the chosen race, the King's (ministers) priests, the holy nation, God's own people". May he impress on us ever deeper that we are living stones joined together by Christ to make his church.
All the stones are important. Each has its own place. Every one has been placed in the church for a special reason. Let’s be the church together. The church that obeys God, honours God, believes his Word, and loves God.
Amen.
Rev. Samuel King-Kabu
April 20, 2008