POLISHED STONES
A sermon by the Rev. Dr. James G. Kirk
Harundale Presbyterian Church
Text: “Come to him, a living stone.” (1 Peter 2:4)
First
Second
When I was
pastor in
He began by telling them how at one time the stone was dull and lifeless. It took a great deal of time to bring out their luster. First coarse grit was used in a tumbler, which lasted sometimes as long as four weeks. Then it was time for milder grit to do its work. Upon inspection one would begin to see the pattern and the brilliance emerging. Then it was time for the polish to do its work. It took time and it took patience. The brilliant stone the person held had not always shone the way it did now.
David would then go on to say the same was true about the person holding the stone. They would go through trials. There would be difficult days. They would sometimes question why things were happening to them. What meaning was behind all their troubles? He would conclude that, as with the stone, so also with them, the grit in their lives was what brought out their beauty and their polish.
They now had a choice to make. Was life going to cause them to become bitter and resentful? If so, they would go through life dull and lifeless. Or, were they going to use the grit they endured in life to polish themselves and present for all to see just how beautiful they are? “If so,” David would say, “keep the rock with you and look at it often. Each time you see it, remember that whatever life hands you is merely grit to bring out your brilliance and beauty.”
Needless to say, no one in David’s office had any idea when they picked up a polished rock that they would get a sermon on how they ought to approach life. But it was a lesson they’d never forget; especially each time they looked at their polished stone. In time I realized that David kept that jar on his coffee table for just that reason. It was his way of using a very simple object to teach a very important lesson in life. And he used it very effectively.
So, when Peter tells us to “Come to him, a living stone,…and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house,” we get some idea of what he’s writing about. God has in Jesus Christ chosen the ultimate grit to polish us into the brilliance God had in mind when God created us. What we are to do in response is to let that brilliance shine to God’s glory and honor. He continues, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
This morning we commissioned four new Stephen Ministers. Part of their ministry in our midst is to be there with those of us who are feeling the grit of life. They are trained as polishers, as Stephen Minister who, through their training, their caring and their presence will help those who are hurting to use the grit to bring out the brilliance that Peter talks about. The stones in David’s bowl couldn’t have polished themselves. Someone had to take the time and the patience they required. So it is with all of us. We can’t deny the brilliance God had in mind for us when God created us. We can’t deny what Christ has done on our behalf. However, there are times in life when we all need a helping hand to “let ourselves be built into a spiritual house.” That’s what the Stephen Ministers are there to do for us.
In the bulletin last week Becky and
Ken Smith gave some carnations marking the 3rd anniversary of the
Columbine tragedy. They then wrote, “Take a moment and listen to a child!” In The
Sun this past Thursday there was a poignant article entitled “Love your
Children without Justification.” It’s
about the writer who had met this girl on a train to
But in the article the author asks an important question, why do we need to justify to anyone our existence? We are, each one of us, here because God created us and through God’s great love for us has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. The grit that Christ bore on our behalf was done solely that we might live other than dull and lifeless lives. What more justification does one need than that.
Going back to Becky and Ken Smith’s
“Take a moment and listen to a child,” this past week I attended a workshop
sponsored by the Anne Arundel County Public Schools. During the day, I learned that one of the
most difficult times in a child’s life is the transition from the eighth grade
to high school. Visit the cafeteria of
any high school in the area the first day of school in September and you will
be able to tell the freshmen right away.
They will be huddled in a corner bouncing from one foot to the other,
with an almost panicked look on their faces.
In order to make their transition somewhat more comfortable, the
district has initiated a program in Corkran and
In the program’s descriptive material we learned that all children are capable. It is our task to recognize that capability to its fullest. We learned that all children have hope. It is our task to have more hope for them than they have for themselves. We learned that all children are approachable. It is our task to be just as approachable. We learned that all children have a mission. It is our task to go on that mission with them. We learned that all children are purposeful. It is our task to make that purpose their plan for success. We learned that all children have insight. It is our task to be understanding. We learned that all children are number one. It is our task to value that individuality. We learned that all children have needs. It is our task to meet their needs. We learned that all children are very special. It is our task to never forget how special. When you take all of those learnings and put them together you will see that they spell champions.
We could take those same learnings and apply them to the Stephen Ministers we commissioned this morning. We could take those same learnings and apply them our Christian Education and Youth ministries. We could take those same learning and apply them to all that we do as a congregation. It is a matter of making champions of one another. It is a matter of using the grit that comes to proclaim the mighty acts of God who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. It is a matter of not letting the worst of times render us lifeless and lackluster, but letting the polish of Christ’s love bring out the brilliance of who God created us to be. Call it becoming champions, polished stones or, as the Army would say, “all that you can be,” let us be about our tasks to never forget how special we are in God’s sight.
Thanks be to God,
Amen