Read 1 Peter 2:1-10
It’s all about representing Jesus well. We just heard in our last reading about holy living, and now we learn we’re to be living stones! To get ready for that, Peter begins by commanding a cleanse. He knew firsthand how easily it was to fall prey to the world and let fear or doubt take control. You may even say things you don’t mean! Peter calls us to be real and not fake.
What does a living stone do? What are our job requirements? Peter was a living stone, building his life on the truth of Jesus Christ. What did Peter do? He told people about Jesus. Peter describes us as: “You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.” There’s that bit about being holy again. Peter wants for us to be holy because that’s what Jesus wants for us. His kingdom is being populated with royal priests who are holy!
How does it make you feel to “belong” to God? We’re his very own possession, the verse says. At the very thought, I felt a hug come down from heaven to hold me tight and remind me everything is going to be okay. Comforting like only a good parent can do.
Peter has moved from talking about relationships in the first chapter to now helping us see the church, the people who truly follow Christ. What will the church look like? To Peter, it all starts with Jesus. Then the living stones, of course!
Peter isn’t the only one to describe Jesus as the cornerstone. You’ll recall Paul did the same in his letter to the Ephesians. In Ephesians 2:20, Paul writes, “Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.” Paul thought of the living stones more as the “body of Christ,” in this example. But that’s a whole separate reflection!
Here, Peter quotes Isaiah who foretold of God’s plan for Jesus in Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.”
We, together with Jesus, make up the spiritual house with Jesus as our foundation. Those of us who believe “need never be shaken.” Those are powerful words, aren’t they? We’re fulfilling prophecy when we allow ourselves to trust God and not let our worlds crash in on us. How cool is that?
How will you respond and live your life knowing this is your identity in Christ? Peter declares, “now you are God’s people.” How does it make you feel to have been forgiven, having received God’s mercy? Sometimes we feel unworthy of such attention from God. We need to remember how much he loves us. He also lets us live in his marvelous light! We can speak to the goodness of God by knowing “he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
Take time today to think about your role as a living stone in the spiritual temple of God’s kingdom, the community of believers who serve and adore the king!
Let’s pray. Father God, I thank you for allowing me to be part of your kingdom. I look forward to how you are going to use me each day to further that kingdom by letting you shine through me. I want to be a stone firmly planted in you and in the truth of your word. Speak to my heart today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
