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You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5 ESV
In the cemetery where I walk, a man is building a stone, arched bridge.
Rare.
Yesterday, I stopped and talked to him. Well, I mostly asked questions. I have this ability to ask two or three hundred questions in 10 minutes. I’ve always asked a lot of questions in conversations. I’m interested in what others are doing.
With few exceptions, if you ask about another’s interests or projects, they don’t mind answering a few hundred questions.
“Living Stones” is mentioned in my title.
Building with stones was a common practice in New Testament times. It was the basic building material in the first century. Israel didn’t have a lot of trees. Building a walled city of drywall to keep out invaders would have been stupid.
Stone. What about living stones?
I asked the mason how he selected the stones. He said, “It’s an art. You look for the right stone for the right place on the bridge.” As living stones, we are being built as a spiritual house. The right stone at the right time and in the correct place.
I asked the man how long the bridge would last.
He said, “Guess?” MMMMHHHMMH – a momentary glitch in the conversation as I’m the one who typically asks questions. I replied, “Fifty years.” He smiled and said, “If I do it right, this bridge will last 200 years before it needs maintenance.”
Two hundred years!
I built a house 25 years ago. It needs maintenance every year.
You can guess my next question, “What is building it right?” His answer, “You have to have the right foundation and the top layer has to be laid perfectly so water can’t seep into the structure.”
A good foundation and not allowing the elements to destroy it! Makes sense.
Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. 1 Peter 2:6
No question about the integrity of the cornerstone; how about our belief? Faith builds the house, defeats the flesh, and keeps the prowling evil one at bay.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11
During my questions, the stone mason began walking me around showing me stones. The man seemed to be a “stone whisperer.” I jumped on the bridge; I think this bridge will last till the Lord returns.
How about you?
The stone mason was building with limestone. Ferncliff Cemetery has limestone cliffs. The land of Israel is rocky – mostly limestone hundreds of feet deep. The Western Wall or Wailing Wall of the Temple Mount is limestone.
Jesus told Peter:
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18
One day during a walk, with the stone bridge finished, I’m going to walk to the middle of the bridge and read Matthew 16:18. A prophetic statement that we need to remember in our age.
Living Stones until Jesus returns.