Becoming a Living Stone
Birthing of this Publication
“Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (NRSV)
I prayerfully wondered when to begin publishing Becoming a Living Stone. “Consider the season of Lent,” was a recurrent thought. So, I did, and it feels like a good fit.
Lent is a season to remember Christ’s work during his 40 days of fasting in the wilderness and enduring Satan’s temptations. Jesus was an apprentice to his father, and during that time of Father’s work in him, his father built him into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. Jesus became a living stone, chosen and precious in God’s sight.
Lent is a season to remember Jesus’ preparation for his public ministry. We pay attention to his dependence on his father as Jesus lived his human experience, the Incarnate One, God with us. Lent prepares us to celebrate Easter, crucifixion and resurrection, giving us the gifts of life over death, and victory over defeat. During Lent we prepare to celebrate Easter.
Lent is a season of commemoration, preparation, and celebration. Likewise, becoming a living stone is a long season of remembering, preparing, and celebrating. Lent involves reflection and letting go. It is a season of giving up in order to avail receiving. These are also elements in becoming a living stone. We are apprentices of Jesus, choosing to walk as he walked on earth, doing life with God.
As wdo life with Jesus, he does his transformative work in us. His is the work of our becoming living stones, becoming like Jesus. He does this work. He is responsible for our spiritual formation into his likeness. My work, our work, is to let Jesus do his work. Mine is letting go, giving up, remembering, commemorating, celebrating, choosing, and letting myself be built. I am chosen by God and precious in his sight. Jesus is working in me to build me into his own likeness. I am becoming a living stone in his image.
Through my apprenticeship to Jesus, he asks me questions and I ponder. I ask Jesus questions, and I ponder his responses. I observe all of creation and glean freely of how it reveals my heavenly Father and his heart of love. I see more of my Father’s heart as I see more of Jesus, for he reveals the Father.
I ponder, I glean, I listen, I observe, and I learn. I pray, I practice, I ask, and I avail myself to Jesus. These become the elements Jesus is using to form me into his image. It is these ponderings, observations, practices, and lessons that Jesus now invites me to share. What is personal becomes corporate as we pay attention and let him bring transformation.
Thus begins the publication of Becoming a Living Stone. What Father gifted to me in private is now to be collective, shared for his honor and for him to receive all the glory. Thanks for reading and joining in! Welcome! I am glad to become with you.
Grateful for Jesus’ transformative work,
Christine