Rocks and Stones

1 Peter 2:2-10

A sermon by Kathy Toivanen at EMUC, 4/24/2005

Palestine is a stony country, and the bedrock is often not far from the surface of the earth. It isn’t a surprise then to discover that stones often crop up (so to speak) in biblical writings. Large stones stood as landmarks, stones were hewed out to be cisterns or tombs; stones were used as weapons of death and as shrines for worship. Jacob slept on a stone and in a dream was reassured of God’s presence. Moses whacked a stone in the desert and water poured forth for the thirsty Hebrew people. A cairn of stones in the "Promised Land" reminded the Hebrew people of the God who guided them through the Red Sea and the river Jordan. Jesus challenged the one without sin to throw the first stone at the woman caught in adultery. On Palm Sunday, Jesus announced that if the disciples were silenced, the stones would shout out God’s blessings. For Christians worldwide, the stone rolled away from the tomb is a powerful symbol of the resurrection. And in the letter of Peter, one of the ways the church is visualized is as a house of living stones built together with Christ, the cornerstone, or as the translation we read today says "building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life".

Some of us have been in churches made of stone – huge medieval cathedrals in Europe, or perhaps small chapels in the countryside.

Here in Canada, in 1889, in Montreal the largest Methodist church was constructed out of stone, some of it the red stone quarried from Credit Valley. Today the congregation of St. James United worships there surrounded by spires and transepts and stained glass windows. Closer to us in Hamilton, and much smaller, is the stone church called Barton Stone United. Now as far as I know, the only stone in the construction of Erin Mills United is the symbolic cornerstone.

Stones by their vary nature are firm, solid, heavy, often difficult to shift or move. Some faith communities have set out to create a solid structure that is supportive of life only to discover that over time, they have built a fortress that keeps life at bay.

I’ve been to churches that feel very much like a fortress – where you have to push a bell to be let into the locked building only to wander through a maze of dusty corridors before you find anyone to greet you.

I know of churches where values and traditions that once formed a firm supportive foundation, have in time, become like heavy immovable rocks that press down on the tender shoots of new life when they try to spring up. I know of churches where tensions and worries, policies and procedures build up stone walls that do more to keep people out, than they do to provide sanctuary for those within. I’ve been in conversations with people who are so concerned about the survival of certain church institutions that they might as well put up a tombstone in their midst in anticipation of the death that is sure to come.

So how can we as participants in this congregation be living stones, how can we be stones that build communities that are "vibrant with life"?

Well, first of all, we have to have a building plan. For those of us who find meaning in the Christian faith, the life and teachings of Jesus Christ are the building plan. This is a building plan that seeks out and gathers all varieties of stones together for the construction, for this is a plan written with the compassion and the hospitality of Christ.

And so in this house of stones, there are some stones that are worn by years of care, some stones have sharp and ragged edges, others are smooth, some have bright shiny flecks, some stones are porous and others can be easily broken, some have been shaped dramatically by the fierce intensity of fire and others more gradually by the gentle wave action of water, some have been chipped or cracked, some can create sparks and others can withstand great amounts of heat or cold.

What a wonderful image of belonging – for in a community built on the foundation of Christ’s love and aligned with Christ as the cornerstone, there is room for everyone, every stone has a place and a part in the construction. With all of our flaws and rough edges, with all of our wear and tear, whatever shape we are in, we are chosen. We are chosen by the One who knew rejection and the One who was considered of no worth by the world. But in God’s wisdom, this one life has become the cornerstone that urges us to trust that our lives are worthy and that God can and does construct something beautiful and precious from such an odd collection of stones. So here we are, gathered together with the purpose and work of building sanctuaries vibrant with life.

Of course, we can and do gather together in church buildings like this to create places of sanctuary where God’s gifts of life are shared and celebrated. We have certainly celebrated such life here today in the baptism of Connor, Maia and Aydann. With the signs and symbols of water, oil, light, and tapestry and with prayer and song, we have welcomed and honoured the sacred among us and within each one of us.

But, at the conclusion of our worship here today, I hope you will notice that structure of this church will have altered. If you look closely, you will see that the gathered stones have shifted and that great gaps appear in the walls. In fact, you may find that entire walls of stone walls disappear, only to dot the landscape somewhere else in the community as other sacred spaces are formed and built.

For some of those stones will gather tomorrow morning at the Springfield Breakfast Club, to build a sacred space that serves breakfast and offers companionship to children before they head off to school. Other stones will be over at Credit Valley Hospital, building a sanctuary for healing and comfort. Some stones will be gathering at the South Common Community Centre or at other fitness places like Curves or at Tim’s or Starbuck’s. There, sacred space will be built to support a friend in a time of need or to rejoice in a life-affirming milestone or achievement. Some stones will be over at City Hall, busy in the work to build up a city that can grow into a sacred community where all people can live and grow up and grow old with dignity and justice. Many stones will be at our schools, learning and leading in ways that build up people to discover and to use their gifts in positive ways.

Other stones will gather in groups to tend to the earth so that it can be a sanctuary for life. Some stones will carry on with the challenging work of changing and transforming the fortresses that keep out life into sanctuaries that welcome life.

And many stones will regroup here throughout the week, sometimes to sing, sometimes to plan, sometimes to pray, sometimes to weep, sometimes to learn, but always to be reminded of Christ the cornerstone who is always reshaping and reforming us into communities that nurture life and hold it sacred.

So as we are shaped here in worship today and as we regroup and gather at many times and in many contexts throughout the week, remember that you are all living stones called by Christ to the sacred work of building just and caring communities where life is welcomed, nurtured and treasured. Amen.