Rocks and Stones

Gord Armstrong
Rainy RIver Ministerial

“Don’t throw Stone’s” My Mother would tell me as I grew up. “Sticks & Stones will break your bones” was another of her sayings.
Each of these sayings was to teach me to watch what I said. Stones being referred to as bad words used to express a feeling to towards someone else - words are thrown around in our world today with very little regard for the hurt they cause and the divisions they make. Another old favorite saying was “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” In this saying the emphasis is on the glass house each of us live in being broken, shattered and destroyed and if one breaks another’s glass house we can expect our own house to be attacked and broken.
Stones are also used in building. Gravel used for making cement is just broken up rocks that nature has caused over the years; crushed rock is man made gravel, each has their beginning as rock or stone.
In God’s Holy word, we find ourselves referred to as living stones. 1 Peter 2:5 (a) says “you also like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be Holy Priesthoods”. This scripture implies that we are being put together to be built into something good and holy. We are not put together to break each other down but to build each other up.
Over the years “enough” stones have been thrown, lets throw no more, but lets work at building each other up, each stone helping and supporting the other. There are difficult times for small communities to survive and only as we “stones” work together will we build a strong community.
In every building there is a chief corner stone, the stone that the rest of the building depends upon. In our case we need such stone.
1Peter 2:6 refers to this building process. “For in Scripture it says, see I lay a stone in Zion a chosen and precious cornerstone and the one who trusts in him, will never be put to shame.
That precious stone that is the cornerstone of our lives is Jesus Christ.
If we live by His words and by His standards we will become a strong healthy community. If that is your desire then let me suggest that you read 1 Peter Chapter 2, you will find many stones there to help you build “your” house, and “our” community.
May God bless you as you read his word.