The Stone
"Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you'll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedence:
'Look! I'm setting a stone in Zion, a cornerstone in the place of honor. Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it.'
To you who trust him, he's a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,
'The stone the workmen threw out is now the chief foundation stone.'
For the untrusting it's '...a stone to trip over, a boulder blocking the way.'
They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.
But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you- from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted."
-The Message
The man who wrote those words understood them all too well. He had lived and breathed a life of dedication to his teacher, Jesus Christ. He understood guilt. Rejection. Pain. Mercy. Perseverance. In fact, he himself became known as Peter, from the Greek "petros", which literally means "rock". It was not a self-indicted title, but a name given to him by his Savior that he would grow into over a lifetime of trial by fire.
In fact, as I read these written words of an older and withered Peter, I am reminded of his earlier days when he walked with Jesus. The age he must have been that I myself am in now.
What led Peter to go from someone who we most often identify in the Gospels as always messing it up to the strong and sturdy leader of a newly born faith in the Acts of the Apostles?
The event that sticks out in my mind is the fireside chat with Jesus by the lake after the resurrection. In one question Jesus helps Peter not only overcome his unbearable guilt and shame but he guides him to the answer he being searching for his whole life.
"Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"
"Yes, Master, you know I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
He then asked a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
"Yes, Master, you know I love you."
Jesus said, "Shepherd my sheep."
Then he said a third time: "Simon, son of John, do yo love me?"
Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, "Do yo love me?" so he answered, "Master you know everything there is to know. You've got to know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."
-The Message
I love that illustration of shepherding sheep. I've been reading a book called "Heaven Has Blue Carpet" by a friend of mine, Sharon Niedzinski. She tells a beautiful story of how raising sheep with her family taught her valuable lessons about the relationship between God and his children.
One story that stuck out to me is of a lamb named Joey. He was rejected from his mother at birth and taken into the house to live with the family till he was strong enough and healthy enough to return to "Sheep World". During this time, he played with the kids, was fed from the bottle of a loving Sharon and was soothed by her gentle voice. Joey was eventually put back with the flock but with a very different attitude. Unlike the rest of the flock that scurried and fled when Sharon came to the pasture, Joey ran to her because he had had a taste of "True Heaven".
What struck me more than the obvious allegory was what happened next. Because Joey responded to Sharon when she came, Sharon herself started looking to the other sheep to see if anymore would be so bold. Before too long, she began craving even the hint of affection from her beloved flock. And just like the scripture says, "Draw near to me and I will draw near to you," Joey's love for his shepherdess led her to draw nearer to her flock and in time others began to recognize her voice. Soon many were thrilled to hear she coming their way.
"Shepherd my Sheep."
One also can't help but be reminded of the intriguing story that Jesus tells of Sheep and Goats. On one side there are sheep who are let into God's kingdom. Jesus claims that it is because they have fed him, gave him shelter, looked after him, and visited him when he was in need that they are friends and can enter. Confused by his words they ask, "When did we do all these things?" Jesus answers, "Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me- you did it to me."
"Feed my Lambs."
I think the kingdom of God is a beautiful thing. I think Jesus has a simple message. Love them. Show them they are not alone. If I laid my life down for you and that is how you know I love you, think about it. How will they know I love them? You. You must show them. In you I have built my Rock.
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