These are desperate times! We the people of the United States are about to answer the implicit question that was rhetorically phrased by Benjamin Franklin in a response to a question posed to him 237 years ago. As he walked out of Constitution Hall in Philadelphia at the end of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a group of citizens asked Franklin what kind of government had been created for the new nation. Was it a dictatorship? A monarchy? A democracy? Franklin responded, “A republic,” then added, “if you can keep it.” That is the question for us today. Can we keep our republic, our representative democracy? We have become a severely polarized nation, in large measure because of what we are being fed by social media which is often filled with conspiracy theories frequently filtered in by foreign governments. And by so-called “news media” outlets that have a blatant political agenda.
Those of us who have been too often left out, overlooked, and stepped on because we are too black, too brown, or too poor, can enter this election stoned (drunk) on all the noise, or as living stones empowered to make a positive difference!
“And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple”
(1 Pet. 2:5a NKJV).
Stoned or a Living Stone?
The imagery in 1 Peter 2:4 is of builders constructing a building and seeking the perfect stones to fit the construction. One stone is passed over, and rejected because of perceived defects or blemishes in the eyes of the builders. This stone is considered unworthy of even being a minor part of the building. Which stones were rejected at the Constitutional Convention as unworthy? Black men? Black women? Women of any color? Which ones are still being rejected 237 years later? Black men? Black women? Women of any color?
“And such were some of [us]” (1 Cor. 6:11)! But God, the chief architect, views the rejected stone as precious, and chooses it to be the chief cornerstone of the building. It is called the Living Stone which is Jesus! And he chose as his disciples, poor fishermen, a despised tax collector, and women like Mary Magdalene.
Then the writer, a fisherman, adds, “You also are living stones” (V. 5). Peter, that fisherman, whom Jesus named “Rock” (Cephas), uses “stone” to characterize Jesus and us, his followers. But we are not just lying around in the dirt being stepped on and passed over. We are living stones with a job to do! A purpose to fulfill! God wants to use us to build a spiritual house. In doing that, we disrupt the devil’s agenda and redirect people onto God’s agenda. I like the stone analogy because stones do not waver like Jello (nervous pudding). They are—well, rock solid!
Our church has declared that we are a One Hundred Percent voting church! That simply means that we take seriously our responsibility to be involved in keeping our republic. Now each one of us has a choice. We can be stoned, drunk with all the noise telling us that our votes do not matter, and just sit out this election. And if we do vote, to be Christians, we must vote for a lying, name-calling demagogue who is the personification of the devil, falsely claiming to be aligned with the teachings of the bible. Conversely, we can be the living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. I do not know how the election will turn out. But as a living stone, I can neither be stoned nor stone-cold silent! I must be alert and active in fighting like heaven!
Focus Quote: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18 NIV).
NOTE: Our 5:14 Prayer List has become lengthy, so we are now including it as an attachment.
