Living Stones

Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14
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Alleluia, Christ is Risen.  The Lord is Risen Indeed, Alleluia!
Happy Mother’s Day!
The Bible refers to stones and rocks in many different passages.  Where do you remember reading or hearing about stones and rocks in the Bible?
Jacob lays his head on a rock and uses it as a pillow. 
Rocks are stacked to build an altar and as a marker so that fellow travelers and future generations will know that this is a holy place. 
Moses strikes the rock from which life giving water flows. 
David uses a stone to kill Goliath. 
Stones are used in stonings such as in the murder of Stephen. 
Jesus renamed Simon Peter the rock. 
This morning’s readings say “Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe”, a living stone, a corner stone, ‘a stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.”
Where do you find stones in your life?
Growing up on a farm, spring was the time when we walked the fields picking up the rocks and stones that had worked themselves up out of the ground during the freezing and thawing of the winter.  We use stones to build fences, foundations and buildings.  Stones are stacked to make caches and markers, permanent directions for travelers.  We use marble and granite to make grave stones.  Something strong and permanent
Rocks give off “chemicals” before a storm.  Can you smell a coming storm?
What is a stumbling block?
What is a corner stone?
What is a living stone?
Jesus is the corner stone upon which the church is built.  We are living stones used to continually build the walls of the church.
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