Come to him, 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. For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” This honor, then, is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” and “A stone that makes them stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 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. (1 Peter 2:4-10, NRSVue)
The stone the builders rejected is now the corner stone.
The cornerstone is the place in the foundation that the whole structure relies on. And according to this reading and others in Scripture, the cornerstone God chooses is rejected by others. And not only is that stone rejected, but it also becomes a stumbling block.
People do not want to base their lives on God’s truth because it has us look outside ourselves and to the best interests of others. It has us focus outward and not on the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I.
We stumble over the stone because we want what’s best for us and not others. We want to fulfill our own desires and not look out for community.
Build your life on God’s cornerstone and know that it will never crumble.
