Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
We are in the Easter Season even though you may say that we celebrated Easter on April 20. And it will run until Pentecost. For us every day is Easter and we need to be reminded of that. Jesus died and rose from the grave so that we will have the promise of eternal life. Jesus is our Rock and Cornerstone. It is important for us to remember that, not just on Easter, but every day of our very lives. I came across this devotion from Sola Publishing written by Rev. Theresa Jacobson.
“17But [Jesus] looked directly at them and said, ‘What then is this that is written:
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”?
18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.’”
Luke 20:17-18
In ancient masonry, the cornerstone was the first stone laid in the foundation of a building, often a very large block, from which all other stones maintained both their stability and their orientation. This stone was both precious and valuable to the builders who laid it in its place. Precision was of utmost importance in the creation of the cornerstone. It had to be squared perfectly and set very accurately because it determined the levels of all the other stones in every direction. If anything was awry with this stone, the entire building would be affected. Once in place, the rest of the building would conform to the angles and size of the cornerstone. In addition, if the cornerstone were to be removed, the entire structure would collapse. The entire structure would be completely dependent upon this one stone.
In the same way, you and I are completely dependent upon Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone. Jesus defines who we are, much like the cornerstone of a building defines the angles and measurements of the other stones. Jesus is the cornerstone, the foundation of our entire lives. Too often, Jesus gets treated as one of the other stones in the building. And sadly, more often than not, Jesus is rejected altogether. Attending worship no longer serves as “Priority #1” in our lives. “I’ll get to church this Sunday as long as my son doesn’t have a basketball game.” “I may not make it to church on Sunday because we have a gathering on Saturday night, and chances are good we’ll be up really late.” It’s easy to find an excuse to not place Jesus as our Cornerstone. And when that happens, the structure we call “life” comes tumbling down. Jesus the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
He aligns our purpose. He distinguishes for us what is right and what is wrong. Jesus gives us eternal life, through his death and resurrection. Jesus Christ provides the foundation by which you and I are measured and centered, by the grace of God.
May we be reminded that Jesus Christ is our solid rock, the Cornerstone that will not reject us when we reject him. Jesus is our sure and certain foundation. Alleluia, Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Let us remember always that Jesus is our Rock, our
Cornerstone, and our Salvation! Amen!
God’s Blessings,
Pastor Gary