Advent 10 - Cornerstone

So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:


“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic. Isaiah 28:16


As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 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. (1 Peter 2 :4-5)

The Jewish people understood their relationship with God to be inextricably tied into the presence of the temple in Jerusalem. From the very beginning God's presence had lived in an ark, or a tent, or a temple. And His covenant with His people was dependent on them keeping lots of laws and making sacrifices mediated by the priests of the temple.

The physical building in Jerusalem was the most important place on earth for the Jews of Jesus's day - and still is to the Jews today. It's difficult therefore for us to understand just exactly how confronting and offensive Jesus was being when He said He was going to tear down the temple and rebuild it in three days. Or how insane it must have sounded when He told Peter that he was the rock on which He was going to build His church.

But Jesus mediated a new covenant and the temple of which He is the cornerstone is a spiritual one. Jesus is the foundation stone on which a living temple is being built. His death and resurrection are the ultimate and final sacrifice needed for sin, doing away entirely with the need for a physical temple, re-setting the God-man relationship forever.


This week we have witnessed the amazing re-opening of Notre Dame 5 years after the catastrophic fire which destroyed most of it . An incredible effort made by hundreds of craftspeople and conservators has seen the stones cleaned and replaced, the rafters remade from French oak, the statues and windows and pews and floors all meticulously restored or rebuilt. A huge cathedral has risen from the ashes. It is a thing of beauty and a work of art. The fire was not able to destroy the foundations of the cathedral which were laid in 1163. Those foundations have carried the wieght of arches and vaulted ceilings and pillars and towers for over 700 years. Given that the builders of the 12th century had no modern understanding of mathematics, geometry, physics and the like it is truly remarkable that these amazing buildings have stood the test of time. Its mostly down to the foundations. And the massive cornerstones which distribute weight and bear the huge load.




If we could see in the spirit, I wonder what the church actually looks like right now. After 2,000 years of living stones being built on the cornerstone of Jesus I wonder how beautiful and amazing and breathtaking we are. The greatest cathedrals of earth are a mere shadow or a cartoon of the bride of Christ as she is being made ready for her wedding to the Lamb. I wonder how many stones still need to be added before we are a completed building. A couple of weeks ago I was praying with a lady in church and I heard the words of the Pink Floyd song playing in my head ' All in all, you're just another brick in the wall'. Yes, just a brick. But oh, what a wall! 😁😁