Casting Stones

Rejection is one of the most profound human experiences. Rejection is the power behind bullying in schools and social circles. We know the hurt of being bullied. We are supportive when school officials take steps to eliminate this behavior. Rejection is the impetus for the “Ban Bossy” campaign. Young girls that demonstrate leadership tendencies are rejected as leaders early in life if we label their leadership abilities with negative language like, “she sure is bossy.” Rejection is what we stand up to when we declare that LGBT people are created and loved by God just as they are. Rejection is what non dominant cultures face when people from other places migrate into the landscape of humanity in the U.S. A.. Yet we really can’t eliminated rejection; can we. 

In some sense rejection seems to be a part of each one of us. Even if the world seems to be spread out on a silver platter before us, we carry the weight of rejection. This is because, we are our harshest critics. We know this about ourselves and we have found ourselves lacking. We have regrets from the past. We have unfulfilled hopes and dreams. We have been abused and mistreated. We have abused and mistreated others. We have been given labels by others that set us apart like – bastard, promiscuous, cripple, old, foreigner, alien, sexual deviant, unhealthy, poor, homeless, addict, socially awkward, psychologically disordered. If you were being introduced to a new community, would you tell them who you really are? Or, do you think that you are more likely to allow your assets to be the first things discovered and revealed about you?

Each of us has a builder within – some part of us that decides how we will present ourselves to the public. There are parts of our identities that feed our pride. It is truly a joy to be recognized as outstanding – stunning in appearance, athletic, charming, kind, giving, intelligent, artistic. Many of us have decided that to know me is to know my giftedness. Many of us would prefer that these gifts were the only way we were known. We are building. We are building a public persona. We are building a façade – this is what you can see from the street. When we build like this, we pick and choose the stones we use. The stones that represent our gifts are perfect for the task. The stones that fail to boost our pride are rejected – we cast these stones away. What we often fail to realize is that the responsibility for building was never really given to us. We have co-opted this task out of fear and insecurity. When we were built, were we not built with both assets and liabilities?

Scripture frequently speaks about the stone that are being cast aside.  In Acts 4:11 Peter is testifying that miracles happen because of Christ. He declares that Jesus is the stone, rejected by the builders (Temple authorities) and is now the capstone of God’s saving plan. In the gospel of Matthew (21:41), Jesus describes the stone that was rejected as god’s people and correcting the builders (temple authorities) for failing God’s people. 1 Peter2 is the claim that Jesus is the first rejected stone laid down as a cornerstone and that the church becomes living stones called to proclaim the mighty acts of God. Paul writes to the church in Ephesus (2:20) that gentiles are now united with God’s people in Israel. Just as Jesus was a stone casted aside, gentiles are also stones casted aside and God has a special purpose for both. It seems like God has a lot of interest in the stones we cast.

Psalm 118 is a worship service created for the temple in Zion. The leader starts with call and response. He is encouraging all of those who are about to enter the temple to cry out the good news. The good news is “God’s steadfast love endures forever.” God’s people, the Israelites, must claim the good news.  The priests, the house of Aaron, must cry out. The outsiders who believe, the God fearers, must cry out. Because by shouting the truth of God’s love the gates of righteousness are swung wide open. In this act of praise, the psalmist recognizes the power of God’s love. 

Many stones have been cast away. The nation of Israel was captive as slaves in Egypt but the enduring love of God makes a glorious nation that has a key role in history. The Shepherd David was without standing in the world and God makes him king. Then David does his own stone casting damage committing murder and adultery. God calls him a man after his own heart and makes great use of David’s life and testimony. The psalmist himself recognizes that though he suffers and falls short, the truth of God, the fact that God’s love endures forever, is his great joy. He realizes that the stones we cast away do not need to cause our death because in God these are great building materials.

 

That is an image of God that I want us to sit with and appreciate. We so often sit in judgment – judged by the status quo, judged by our communities and cultural norms, judged by ourselves. Our reaction to this judgment breaks us into pieces. We feel the need to cast stones away and take charge of how the world knows us and uses us; but we are incompetent builders. In God’s hands, every stone is precious. God looks at the stone we cast away, holds it with care, and declares to all of creation that this stone is the perfect piece. This will be a capstone. This has value. This will be redeemed and used for good. God’s ability to love and redeem every stone allows us to be whole, allows us to be holy.

 In the journey of Lent 2014 we have traveled together and we have carried our stones with us. On Ash Wednesday you picked a stone to carry. Many of us knew what this stone represented and we prayed over our stone. We got to know it. We have even become use to carrying it around. You have heard by now that we are going to give our stones to God. Already many of you have suggested that your stone may not be something that you really want to give up. (that speaks volumes) Yet, what we are doing on Sunday is not casting our stones away. Instead let us choose to put our stones in God’s hands. Let us trust the one whose love endures forever to make us whole and make us holy. What else would we do with these stones?

Enjoy God,

pg