God’s Own People
I Peter 2:1-10
Sunday, February 17, 2008, 6:00 p.m.
¬Third Central United Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

This past week we celebrated Valentine’s Day—a time to celebrate the gift of love in our families. I hope you had a good celebration. And I always chuckle when I wander into the local stores on Valentine’s Day Eve. The places are packed—mostly with men—who are trying to find last-minute cards or gifts. I also heard a story about two children who wanted to do something special for their mother. They were six and eight years old and they gave their mom a beautiful house plant for Valentine’s Day. They used their own allowance to purchase the gift. Their mother was thrilled by their thoughtfulness. But the older child had kind of a sad look on his face. He said, “Mom, there was a bouquet that we wanted to give you at the flower shop.” “It was really pretty—but it was too expensive.” “It had this special ribbon on it—and we thought it would be just perfect for you—because you always complain to your friends how much we tire you out.” Mom was curious—she asked, “What message was on the ribbon?” He said, “The ribbon said, ‘Rest in Peace.’”

I don’t know if you received a “Rest in Peace” Valentine or not—but I hope your day was a good one. It doesn’t matter whether we’re red or yellow, black or white. Many of us have similar experiences and stories to tell when it comes to being a part of a family.

OUR SCRIPTURE PASSAGE FROM I PETER TALKS ABOUT FAMILY TOO—BUT A FAMILY WITH BROADER BOUNDARIES—GOD’S FAMILY. Having a sense of community and commitment are the two chief challenges of being a part of God’s family. The widely scattered Christian churches of Asia Minor were having a hard time keeping it together. Chapter 2 begins with a vice list! This may be a record of some of the ways these churches had been treated by outsiders. Or—heaven forbid—it could be a list of some of the ways people were be treated by insiders! Malice, guile, insincerity, envy, and slander—get rid of it! Can you imagine that happening in a family or church family!

I like the story about the little girl and her mother. They were looking through a family photo album. She wondered, “Why aren’t I in this picture?” Her mom said, “You weren’t born, yet, dear.” The little girl wondered, “What does that mean—I wasn’t born yet?” Predictably, the mother was at a loss for words—but offered what she hoped would be a sufficient explanation for her three-year-old. But that wasn’t good enough for her daughter. She asked again, “Why wasn’t I in this picture?” “I see you and Daddy and my big brother and sister—but I don’t see me.” “Why? And don’t tell me I wasn’t born yet!” Mom was starting to get very impatient. She said firmly: “Honey, that is the answer to your question.” “You just had not been born yet!” The daughter yelled, “Well, where was I if I wasn’t born yet?” Mom shouted, “You were in heaven!” The little girl quieted down. She calmly took the picture album and put it away. On the way back to her room, she stopped, turned around. She glared at her mother and said, “Well, I’m sure not there NOW!”

It is not easy being a part of a family—whether it is our earthly family—or God’s family. Being in relationships brings problems and stresses and strains and challenges. When family life is going well, it can be heavenly. Yet most of us know that there are also times when it is much the opposite. Some of you have been around long enough to remember the actor Robert Young. He was the dad in the television series Father Knows Best. One day he came home from work. His teenage daughter asked him, “Dad, how come each week on television, you solve the most difficult family problems imaginable. And yet, when you’re at home, you seem so stupid?” Instead of getting angry, he laughed and said, “Well, honey, at the studio I just have good writers!”

Maybe that’s what we all need—especially since the writer’s strike is over! We just need good writers! We need folks who can wrap up our problems in our families and church families in 30 minutes—even with a few commercials thrown in! But we know all too well that life is not that easy—and we continue to face challenges and changes in our lives. Our children and grandchildren are dealing with much more difficult problems and choices than we did—and at much earlier ages.

Around 50 years ago, the top three disciplinary problems in school were talking, chewing gum, and running in the halls. Now we see things like rape, robbery, assault, drug and alcohol abuse at the top of the list. This past week our hearts broke again because of another campus shooting spree. About 30 years ago, here is a list of the greatest fears of primary school children: Animals, dark rooms, strangers, high places, and loud voices. Today the list includes divorce, nuclear war, lung cancer, pollution, global warming, and muggings. We’re also living in a restless society—a restlessness that can sometimes lead to rootlessness. In an average year, some 40 million Americans move. Put another way, every ten years—about half of an average American town’s population leaves. We have lost much of our connectedness with our rural past. We are facing increasing challenges to carry a sense of our identity with us. When we move around, we often lost the support of extended family—and the identity which comes from living with relatives. That, along with the decline of the traditional family structure, has made it more difficult to have a sense of belonging.

MAYBE WE NEED A GOOD WRITER? And perhaps we have found one in I Peter? Essentially, he says, “Knock off that bad behavior! Let go of that lousy living!” And here’s the invitation—listen closely! “If indeed, you have tasted that the Lord is good…” How many of you have “tasted that the Lord is good?” We have a GOOD writer here—here’s the invitation… “If you have tasted the goodness of the Lord—come to him!” “Come to him—the living stone!” “Come to him—our Rock and our Salvation!” “Come to him—the chief Cornerstone!” We have GOOD writer here—he tells us where to go and what to do. And he uses this perplexing, paradoxical image. A “living stone”—how can that be? How can something dead and hard and cold be “living!?” It’s because we have a GOOD writer here! Somebody who inspired the words we read in I Peter. Someone who sent us a Love Letter, the Word, into the World in Jesus. Someone who can transform the dead and hard and cold things into LIFE!

God declares that not only is the Lord a “living stone”… All of God’s people, all of God’s family, are “living stones!” We’re part of the “Living Stone” family! Turn to your brother and sister and greet each other, “Rev. Living Stone,” I presume! Blessings, Mr. Living Stone! May the peace of Christ be with you, Mrs. Living Stone!

And we are all building blocks in God’s great construction project! God is building a “spiritual house,” a true community of faith, the church! And God can build a spiritual house in our homes. God can build a spiritual house in our churches. God can build a spiritual house with all of God’s people. This is no human construction project! This is a God-construction project! God is the builder here! And that’s why it is so good that we get together like this. Sometimes when we don’t get together, we become stumbling blocks instead of building blocks. Sometimes when we wall ourselves off from each other we become old, dead, hard stones—instead of Living Stones!

That’s why it is important to celebrate African American History Month. That’s why it is important to have Moments for Disciples History. That’s why it is important to look through the family album from time to time. That’s why it is important to examine our family tree and analyze our ancestry in Scripture. We’re family—we’re God’s family. We’re part of a centuries-old building project—and God is calling us to transform the old, hard, dead, cold stumbling blocks into a new generation of Living Stones. Some of the folks around are stubborn blocks—some are just blockheads—but we have to carry on this legacy and offer God’s invitation—“if you have tasted that the Lord is good, come to him!” Every day our lives are lessons. Every day we are either living out inappropriate behavior or appropriate behavior. Every day brings the opportunity to reinforce positive, basic, spiritual values within our families and communities.

Our homes and church homes must not be battlegrounds but training grounds for the expression of love, forgiveness, support, encouragement. Our families are to be places where we know we are loved.
Psychologist Paul Chance talks about the love of his mother—a love that seemed to know no limits. The last time he saw his mother, she was lying in a hospital bed in an intensive care unit, playing out the last difficult scene in the tragedy we call cancer. He held her hand and told her that he loved her. She couldn’t speak because of a breathing tube. But she squeezed his hand—hard. He is convinced that she was trying to send him a message—even then. Her middle-aged son had come to comfort her—but she was comforting him. He says, “Mothers—and fathers—are just like that.”

And so is our God. Jesus wants us to know that we have a God who is like a loving parent. And the Church—at its best—is the place where that kind of love is experienced and shared—surprising, unlimited, unexpected love. And we don’t offer that love because we are better or more talented or brighter than others. We share that kind of love because we all fall short—and we have come to know the love and mercy and grace of God. As we have heard before, the church is not a museum for saints—it’s a hospital for sinners—a place of healing in a broken world, an oasis in a desert of despair, an anchor during the storms of life. We love, because God first loved us! We didn’t deserve that kind of love. Despite our sin and shortcomings… Despite our weakness and wandering… Despite our faults and failures—God loves us! We have a good writer here—one who knows about the family of God. Because God has adopted you—you are part of God’s family! Once you were ordinary—now you are extraordinary! Once you were nobody—now you are somebody! Once you were dissed and disconnected—now God insists, you’re never rejected! Once you had not received mercy—now you have tasted the sweet fruit of forgiveness!

Please remember these things—repeat me… Once we were no people… Now we are God’s people! We were…
In darkness! We are… In God’s Marvelous Light! We are… A chosen race! We are… A royal priesthood! We are… A holy nation! We are… God’s own people! Amen.