The Cornerstone

Amanda MacQuarrie November 26, 2023 1 5

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Psalm 118: 22-25 (NRSVA)

22 

The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the chief cornerstone.

23 

This is the Lord’s doing;
    it is marvellous in our eyes.

24 

This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 

Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
    O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

I can’t visit a beach or a mountain — in fact I can’t really walk anywhere — without my eyes scouring the landscape in front of me for treasure – stones! It’s a habit I’ve had since I was a wee girl and I often return now, as I did then, with pockets bulging, laden with pebbles.

Sometimes it’s the colourful ones that stand out in a sea of blacks and greys, sometimes it’s the shape of them that catches my eyes, or their texture, the smoothness, or the way the light hits their grooves.

Sometimes one that looks appealing once picked up doesn’t quite meet my expectations and it’s discarded, left behind with the others scattered on the ground.

Legend has it that’s what happened when Israel was building the temple. The builders didn’t recognise the stone they needed to hold the whole thing in place, and they discarded it, only to realise its true identity and true worth as the capstone later!

As usual… God knew best!

And isn’t that the metaphor throughout Scripture? It’s often not what human eyes look for but what God decrees and plans – we see it as Samuel is surprised at God’s choice of Jesse’s youngest son, David, and we see it in Jesus, many at the time didn’t see who Jesus was and rejected him, even the religious leaders failed to recognise the long-awaited King in their midst and rejected him.

Rejected,

Discarded,

Cast aside,

Not matching up to the eyes of the world.

The Lord has done this, it is marvellous in our eyes.

Unwanted,

Unlovely,

Undesired,

Seemingly valueless,

Not matching up to the eyes of the world.

The Lord has done this, it’s marvellous in our eyes.

Chosen,

Accepted,

Precious.

To God.

Wanted,

Beloved,

Priceless,

The capstone.

To God.

Whether Jesus or us…

Father, thank you for all that you have done,

For the gift of your son, whom the world rejected.

And through whom your eyes behold us freshly,

Even those cast aside by the world,

Beloved, chosen, precious.

Amen.