Advent Devotions

Today’s author is Prince of Peace member Steve Sveom.

⁴ Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and ⁵ 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.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

¹⁰ Once you were not a people,
    but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
    but now you have received mercy.
1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10

God is at work to build us into a community of faith with a purpose.  It is to honor God, proclaim the light of God to a world of much darkness and to be a people of mercy.  This is the mission to which we are called.

We have a boulder wall that is vital to our landscaping and the foundation of our house.  We noticed that the drainage was beginning to compromise the wall and that the boulders were beginning to move slightly.  Two contractors did work to remedy the situation.  One put a new pier into the ground and replaced a pillar that holds up a corner of a four-season porch.  The other came with equipment and expertise to do some drainage work in our yard and to reconstruct the boulder wall.  The boulders needed to be rebuilt in a more staggered manner, like a brick wall.  It was amazing to watch their hard work and excellent know-how. 

As they worked, I thought of God’s work building a community of faith.  We are the “living stones” built on the cornerstone of Jesus’ grace.  We are not responsible for the work that has already been accomplished in Christ, but we are not passive either.  We have a purpose and a mission.  We are living stones chosen by God to be placed carefully together to be a spiritual house of mercy and love.

Gracious builder: thank you for the cornerstone of your gracious love in Christ.  May we let ourselves be built into a spiritual house of mercy.  Amen.