Aligned with the cornerstone
Incidents in your past that had a big impact on your life are easily brought back to the forefront if the right trigger is pulled. When I read something about a cornerstone, the picture of my mother unveiling the church’s cornerstone immediately comes to mind.
My father had worked so hard with the committee to build a plain church that would not need a lot of maintenance. He took care to see to it that every cross was built into its place.
And then, a week before the dedication of the church, my mother had to ask whether he could be buried outside the church. That’s why the congregation asked my mother to unveil the cornerstone.
That’s our idea of a cornerstone. A marble block that says when the building started being used and by whom the cornerstone was laid. But in the old days, a cornerstone had a completely different function.
Then people did not have all the modern equipment of today. And their bricks weren’t all exactly the same size with straight sides. They used stones that each had its own shape.
The cornerstone was the most important because the rest of the house was aligned with and built from this stone. If the cornerstone was crooked, the chance of the house standing straight and at right angles was very small.
Therefore, the straightest, best stone of all the stones was chosen as the cornerstone. In the same way, God chose Jesus to be the cornerstone of His building.
However, many people rejected Him. Many do not see Him as the perfect and only cornerstone for the house God is building. God planned it this way and Jesus is very precious to Him.
When Jesus was on earth, the church of the day, the priests and the churchgoers, did not recognise and acknowledge Him as the Son of God. On the contrary, they were the cause of Jesus being crucified.
Even today, the orthodox Jews deny that Jesus is the Son of God. They still do not recognize and acknowledge Him as the Saviour and the cornerstone of God’s house.
Jesus is the only cornerstone of God’s house and the only living one. That is why we, who are also living stones, are invited to come to Him. Let us live in line with His life and precepts, so that God’s building can stand firmly.
Yes, 4Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honour.
Let us make sure that our life aligns with the cornerstone today and tomorrow. May we live as He lived and help others to also be built into line in God’s house.
Scripture
1 Peter 2:1-8
Reflection
Are you aligned with the Cornerstone?
Where have you slipped out of line?
What do you need to do to get back in line?
Prayer
Jesus, I believe that You are the only cornerstone in God’s house. I also want to be a living stone that is aligned with You. Holy Spirit, please remind me every day that Jesus must be my focus. Amen.