Cornerstone and stumbling stone

Palm Sunday today and I was preaching on Luke's retelling of the story, which ends with Jesus saying that if his disciples didn't shout out 'Halleluia!'  then the stones they were walking upon certainly would.  

Thoughts then turned to Psalm 118 which talks of the stone the builders rejected becoming the cornerstone, and a theme started emerging  - Jesus is the cornerstone, of our faith and of the church. But, says Peter, Jesus is not only the cornerstone, he's also a stumbling stone!

Jesus a stumbling stone or block - how can that be?

1 Peter 2:4-6  As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

   "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone," and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for."

Because Jesus, the cornerstone, is still a stumbling block to many and not just outside of the church. Even within our churches there are many who still struggle with the idea of Jesus as Messiah, Saviour. They struggle with the whole idea of sin and the need for God to go through this incredible process of coming to earth as flesh and blood and enduring suffering and death so that we (and that’s the whole of humanity) might be made right with him again, as it was in the beginning, to be made righteous, forgiven and receive the promise of eternal life. If that sounds a bit heavy and theological then I don’t apologise because that’s the core of Christianity. We are the prodigals; God is the loving father who welcomes us home!

The problem is that many people have a distorted view of God, that he is somehow distant and remote. That he set the world in motion and then stepped back and let it get on with life; that he doesn’t get involved in the day to day of existence, in the nitty-gritty of everyday life. They have a distorted view of what being a Christian is all about, in the sense that it’s more about me than anyone else – what benefit, what comfort can I get from it? And they have a distorted view of what God expects from us – what can I do to make God love me more, or what could I do that would make God love me less?

Does that sound a bit severe an assessment? It’s actually the way a lot of people who call themselves Christians live out their faith. Every time you say to yourself ‘I don’t like those modern hymns or songs!’ or ‘God wouldn’t be interested in my problems’ or ‘I ought to be a better human being if I expect God to bless me!’ you’re in danger of tripping over that stumbling stone, rejecting the one who rode into Jerusalem to the sound of people’s praise, and so soon afterwards died for you and I.

Jesus rode into town as the King of Peace, he suffered rejection and humiliation at the hands of people like you and I and died the death of a common criminal. Why? So that you and I might open our eyes and see that God so loved the world so much, so loved you and I and those sat next to us and the whole of humanity that he was prepared to become flesh and blood and poor out that blood on a cruel cross to show you how much he wants to be a part of your life.

A new ebook!

This book has been on the go for some time, and I'm really pleased with the outcome!

Still very much influenced by the prayers of the early Christians in this country, I've given this one a basic theme of journeying with God through the day from waking to sleep

This time, not all the prayers are on the website, so you'll need to get the book to find those!

The book also contains some photographs to enhance the prayers

Check out the details on http://www.faithandworship.com/shop.htm

Packages

I came across this quote yesterday via my Google Home page! I think it's quite a wise insight, and if nothing else seems to agree with the notion that man was not intended to be alone - he (and she!) was created for fellowship, for a sharing of the world and life, and for love - for giving and receiving.

When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package.
  - John Ruskin

A young (at heart) man's thoughts turn to Spring

A sleeping world emerges to new possibilities
Weakening winter's icy grip
And birdsong and bleating lamb
Announce to all the promise
That in due season
Creation bursts into life
And whilst leaves that fell in winter
Lie upon the ground
Soon to feed the earth
In nature's wondrous cycle
Of death and rebirth
Within the tree is a stirring of new growth

Do we get the god we deserve?

I was talking with a friend today and as always happens the conversation turned to religion and his apparent search to mould the God of the Bible into the sort of god that he could believe in. This is a constant battle that he has, and it leads to a lot of heartache and blind corners. Yes, there's no reason at all why you shouldn't create your own god - men and women have been doing that for millenia. Make him/her/it in your own image by all means, but don't try and confuse that god with the God of the Bible, because you are going to be disappointed.
Part of the problem that Christians have these days is that they spend too much time trying to make God fit into the culture of today rather than helping the culture relate to God as he is, timeless, unchangeable, creator and sustainer.

Religious freedom

 In an ideal world all people would be free to practice the religion of their choice and conviction, but of course this is not an ideal world. In the West there is a general tolerance to all and no faiths, but that is unfortunately not the case in strict  Islamic states. The following comes from the Barnabasfund website.

You can convert to Islam but you are not allowed to convert from Islam. All schools of Islamic law, shari‘a, agree on this rule and specify the death sentence for an adult male Muslim who chooses to leave his Islamic faith. Most also impose the death penalty on women apostates. The rule was established many centuries ago by Islamic scholars, but even today most Islamic religious leaders and many ordinary Muslim people agree with it.


The death penalty is rarely put into practice, but the existence of this “apostasy law” is so well known amongst Muslims that it generates strong hostility towards apostates, whether from family or community, from religious or secular leaders, from police or judiciary. So it is normal for converts from Islam to face persecution and violence. They may be arrested, either for apostasy or on a pretext. They may be attacked, beaten or even murdered by their own relatives. And those who commit the violence will probably not be punished for it.

As a Christian I obviously would like to feel that all are free to belong to the Christian family, whilst respecting the right of a Moslim to practice his or her own faith. I only wish it were so in all countries!