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“The Foundation of our Faith” Fifth Sunday of Easter – 2008 1 Peter 2:2-10
Dear friends, grace and peace be with you this day from our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Next fall we will be celebrating our 150th anniversary as a congregation. It will be an exciting time as there are many special events being planned to help us celebrate. The theme of our celebration will be Thanks to God! If you have been reading your Uniter lately, you have seen excerpts from our history booklet as we remember and celebrate the past ministry of United. When I moved here to Red Wing, I found it interesting to learn about the history of this church. We are worshipping in the old Trinity Lutheran Church building, a building that was constructed in 1905 as the cornerstone reads outside in the front of the building. One hundred and three years ago the footings were dug to build the foundation for this building. And, as the story goes, as the workmen dug down, they came upon a bed of rock that stopped their digging. They couldn’t go down any further. That’s why the church building is up so high from the street and has so many steps coming up the front entrance, all to the disdain of the funeral home people, I might add. As some of the older members have told me, because of that bed of rock, United Lutheran is really built upon a sure foundation. FOUNDATIONS. Nothing is more important when building a house, or building anything for that matter than a solid foundation. Without it the possibility for disaster can happen. It really is the same thing when we talk about our spiritual house, our lives of faith and trust in God. With a sure foundation, our faith will last and remain strong. Without it, the possibility of disaster, trials and hardships, can take our faith right away, leaving us without the resources to weather the storms. Our second lesson for today is concerned about the foundation of our faith and how we can become “living stones” built upon the cornerstone that is Jesus Christ. Peter invites us to “Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 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.” Jesus is that living stone, raised from the dead by the power of God to be the salvation of all people. Jesus is the foundation upon which we, as living stones, are able to be built into a spiritual house. The foundation of our faith is this confession: Jesus Christ was rejected by sinful people, crucified, died and was buried, and on the third day raised from the dead. It is upon this confession, this foundation, that the church stands or falls. By our confession of faith in the risen and living Lord Jesus, we also become living stones, built upon Christ who is the cornerstone of the church. As living stones, we are joined with Christ, cemented together by our common faith and confession in him. In our text, Peter quotes from the Prophet Isaiah and reinterprets what he has to say in light of what he knows about Jesus. “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” This passage, at first, certainly meant the nation of Israel, as God first promised to be in relationship with them as God’s chosen people. But now the sure and precious stone of God’s presence is for all people through their faith in him. Now, not only is the nation of Israel God’s people, but we are God’s people, everyone who believes and confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. Peter says this about us, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.” Peter had a glimpse of this early on as he followed Jesus and witnessed his ministry. When Jesus asked his disciples who the people thought he was, they responded by saying some thought he was Elijah, others said John the Baptist, or one of the prophets. When he asked Peter the same question, Peter responded, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said, “On this rock I will build my church.” William Barkley said, “It is on the faith of the loyal believer that the church is built; the believer is like a brick in the edifice of the church, built by faith into Jesus Christ.” This reminds me of another story Jesus told his disciples concerning foundations. There were two men who built houses, one on the rock and one on the sand. Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.” For those who have faith, who are living stones built upon the cornerstone and foundation of Christ, they will receive strength and experience the presence of Christ, receiving hope and meaning in life. For those who reject Christ, however, who do not have such a foundation upon which to live their lives, they will crumble and fall down. The promise for us is that the person of faith will not be put to shame. The person of faith will be forgotten or forsaken. The person of faith will be given the confidence to live life and have the inner resources to weather the many trials and hardships that come our way. This certainty and power all comes from God who raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus is the living stone, and because he lives, we will live also. Jesus made it very clear when he said this to his disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Could there be any greater assurance or sure foundation for our lives than this? We will soon be meeting with our 9th graders for a personal interview in preparation for their Confirmation Day. We will be talking with them about their personal statement of faith and talk about how God is present and active in their lives. On their Confirmation Sunday, they will confess their faith, become adult members of this congregation, and promise to be active participants in the ministry of the church. At that service, which is really called “Affirmation of Baptism,” we will ask them this: Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in Holy Baptism?
By answering “yes” to these questions, and then by living out their faith and commitment in this way, these 40 young people will actually be living stones built upon the living stone of Jesus Christ. Through them, Jesus will be laying the foundation for the next 150 years of ministry here at United. But Confirmation is not only about these 40 young people. It is also about us, the rest of the members of the congregation. Confirmation can be, and should be, a time when we all reflect on our own faith and commitment to Christ. How is the foundation of your faith? What is the condition of your spiritual house? Peter’s invitation is to us all: “Come to him, a living stone…and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house.” Being a living stone means just that, living, being alive, being active, being responsive and open to what God is doing in your life. It is allowing yourself to built into a people of God, dedicated to God with one purpose, “that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Jesus is the foundation of our life and faith. As living stones, let us be built into a spiritual house for God. Amen. |