...Jesus the cornerstone...

I just read these words of God this morning: “I thank you that you have answered men and women and have become our salvation.  The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.   This is the Lord’s doing;  it is marvelous in our eyes.   This is the day that the Lord has made;  let us rejoice and be glad in it”   Psalm 118:21–24.

The cornerstone is that part of the foundation upon which the whole building stands. And the Psalmist speaks metaphorically about how we view human beings in society, that it is God’s intent that the stones that were once seen as unfit to be a part of the architecture— the stones that were once thrown away or kept in the quarry —have now become the most important stones of all.  The rejected stones make the best cornerstones.  The rejected stones actually make the best foundation holders. And whenever you see rejected stones becoming the focus of society, it is the Lord’s doing. 

Dear friends, Jesus lived among the rejected. He ministered among the rejected.  He died and was crucified as One rejected Himself, as somebody who was outside the political power structure. But early Sunday morning, from the grave He led a resurrection movement — revival of love, a revival of justice, a revival of mercy, a revival of grace.

We need to remember this, dear friends, when we are engaged in conversations about equality among the various races and classes in our world, especially among men and women.  Today we are seeing prominent people express grotesque words of prejudice and hatred for Jews and for women and children.  People of color are still identified as minorities, and in our own country today voting laws are being changed to make it next to impossible for so-called minorities to vote.

My invitation to you today is to read this again, and then pray:

“I thank you that you have answered men and women and have become our salvation.  The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.   This is the Lord’s doing;  it is marvelous in our eyes.   This is the day that the Lord has made;  let us rejoice and be glad in it”   Psalm 118:21–24.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.