Link to Lectionary Text at Vanderbilt.

1 Peter 2:2-10

2:2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation-

2:3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

2:4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and

2:5 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.

2:6 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.”

2:7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,”

2:8 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.

2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

2:10 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.

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” - from Hamlet , Wm. Shakespeare; Act II, scene ii

The first Petrine epistle has some fun with rock imagery here.  Of course, even the name Peter literally means rock.  The Revised Common Lectionary links this reading up with the stoning of Stephen in the book of Acts and selected verses from Psalm 31 - “Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me. You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me.”  The only place you won’t find rocks and gravel are in the Gospel reading.

God is the ultimate junque artist here.  You’ve seen junk art, right?  A sculptor takes items that are traditionally discarded by most folks and welds, pastes, fastens, rivets, bolts, glues and otherwise attaches them together to make an entirely new piece.  God takes something as useless as rocks - ones discarded, outcast, and rejected - and builds a temple for a royal priesthood.

Of course, stones can be used as stumbling blocks, obstacles, or even weapons (Acts).  Or they can be used to glorify God.

This challenges our churches to look very carefully at who gets rejected in our communities.  Who are the outcasts that God would have us use?  Who are the living stones among us whose spiritual potential can be formed and nurtured?  Where do we see blessing while others see nuisance?

Atmospherics - rocks, gravel, concrete blocks, bricks.  Perhaps everyone in the congregation could be handed small stones.  Kids could build a temple from Lego blocks, or paint larger rocks with words like faith, hope, love, refuge, mercy, grace, fortress.