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Advent Around the World
We invite you to worship with us each Wednesday, beginning November 30 at 11:00 a.m. (CST) Read More
Elsy Arévalo | Read 1 Peter 2:4-10
What is the foundation of our salvation if not the lifelong realization that God is good and that in God there is nothing to fear? God’s generous offer of love, mercy, and compassion is the cornerstone of the good news of Jesus Christ. Moreover, it is the cornerstone upon which we are called to build our life.
Even though Jesus’ message is good news, it is not always easy to absorb and accept. While most of us intellectually believe in God’s goodness, we struggle to truly grasp the love and grace freely offered to us. Instead, we live as if we have to earn God’s love. Even things that are meant to be life-giving such as religion, spirituality, prayer, and ministry can become burdensome as we add layer upon layer of things we have to do and be in order to reach God. Jesus comes to show us that God’s love is pure gift and that it is not predicated upon our behavior. God is the consistent, steady, and faithful Father who joyfully runs to greet us every time we choose to return home. (See Luke 15:11-32.) God loves because God is love; we do not have the power to change God’s nature.
Our ability to accept Jesus’ message necessitates a lifelong process of drawing near to him. As we do so, our false and wounded notions of love are dismantled, and our deeply embedded programs of punishment and reward are uncovered. We discover that we can call God “Father” or “Mother,” though the mystery of who God is always lies beyond our grasp. As we heed the invitation to taste God’s goodness and mercy for ourselves, we discover that the healing the world needs most now is our own.
Jesus Christ, I want to draw near to you. I want to know you more deeply, to taste your goodness and mercy for myself. Be my living stone and show me how to build my house upon your love. Amen.
The first three readings for the week contain variations on the imagery of stones or rocks. In Acts, Stephen is killed as the first Christian martyr by being stoned to death, while Saul (Paul) stands by and approves. The psalmist proclaims his confidence in the Lord, whom he describes as his rock and fortress. Peter tells the believers that they have become living stones in the household of God because of their connection to the chief Cornerstone, Christ. In John, Jesus makes an explicit claim to being the only way to God. In our current cultural context, many wonder about the spiritual status of followers of other religions. Jesus’ statement in John 14:6 invites us to deep reflection on this important question.
Read Acts 7:55-60. Recall a time when you have seen God’s power in action. How was God’s power different than you might have expected?
Read Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16. Contemplate your answers to the author’s questions. How do the psalmist’s hope and experiences reflect your own?
Read 1 Peter 2:2-10. When have you experienced God as a loving Mother? When has Christ been your cornerstone?
Read John 14:1-14. How do you experience God’s presence through the life or actions of others?
Respond by posting a prayer.
This season, Whitney R. Simpson has given us the gift we must open: a clear, accessible invitation to connect with the divine spark that is within us. This is the best present: being present for Jesus’ birth, God made human.”
Learn more about our newest Advent resource, Fully Human, Fully Divine here.
