"Living Stones”

So who can be a living stone?

Set in the cobbled path leading up to the castle on St. Michael’s Mount, Cornwall, is this heart shaped rock.

1 Peter 2:2-10

May 3, 2026

Dr. Todd R. Wright

I am just back from hiking 120 more miles on the Appalachian Trail. I spent a lot of time up close and personal with rocks: scrambling over stones, slipping on scree, skirting boulders, kneeling in gravel as I refilled my water bottle, and dumping pebbles out of my boots.

Stones are just as commonplace in the lands of the Bible and the pages of scripture:

Jacob used a stone for a pillow on his escape from home;

the Israelites carried stones from the Jordan River with them into the Promised Land;

before his death, Joshua set in place a large stone, saying, For it has heard all the words of the Lord … and will witness against you if you deal falsely with your God”;

David chose five smooth stones on his way to face Goliath;

John the Baptist declared that “God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.”;

In response to the Pharisees’ shushing during the triumphal entry, Jesus said “If these [disciples] were silent, the stones would shout out.”    

So perhaps it was obvious for Peter, the one Jesus called the Rock, to use stones to describe the nature of the church to a collection of gentile Christians somewhere in Asia Minor.

But I wonder if the comparison struck those listening to his letter being read as a bit odd!

One scholar describes them this way:

“The recipients of his letter lived in the northwest corner of Asia Minor, far off the grid of Roman power. They were viewed as backward people, and they were subject to demeaning prejudice and occasional persecution. Mostly, they were simply forgotten. A people with no social standing, they were deemed unworthy of defending.”[2]

I suspect they did not feel as strong and stable as stones.

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But Peter insists that they are ... because Christ is the living stone … and, by association, they are taking on his qualities:

He was rejected by mortals and the price of following him is that they have been shunned by family and friends.

He was chosen and precious in God’s eyes and by baptism they’ve become adopted siblings.

He is the cornerstone – the stone that “is prepared and chosen for its exact 90° angles, which serves as the basis for the construction of the whole building,”[3] “the primary reference point for a building's alignment, stability, and orientation,”[4] and so they are called to display God’s values of grace and justice, of love and peace, to those around them.  

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Some scholars have tried to tame the oddness of the “living stones” image by suggesting that it refers to unhewn or uncut stones – stones still in their original state. But as Peter continues to use this and other stone images, it seems evident that the shocking nature of this reference is meant to be emphasized not smoothed over.

Jesus is a “living stone” – a reference no more odd than a crucified savior or a resurrected Lord. Ordinarily stones are the opposite of something living, but then ordinarily dead men tell no tales, and God does not put on human flesh. This gospel message we treasure is full of challenging images.

And Peter goes further. He declares that not only is the Lord a “living stone”; all Christians are building blocks in a “spiritual house,” a true community of faith, the church.

Make no mistake, this is no human construction project; God is the builder here.

So who can be a living stone?

If we were building it, we would pick and choose the best stones for the job and cast aside the rest. That is what human builders do. That is why they rejected Jesus. He didn’t fit. Do you?

Consider two very different types of stones:

One is a piece of slate, the other a river stone from the creek that runs through Montreat.

The slate is cut for a job – covering a roof. It is thin and brittle, sharp angles and sharper edges.

The river-stone was dug out of the earth by long ago glaciers and tumbled by the waters until all the sharp edges were removed.

The river-stone would look silly up on a roof; it doesn’t fit, but it’s perfect for a wall.

[Pass them around. Feel their texture and heft.]

We are invited to see ourselves as stones; not as a pile of rocks strewn across the landscape, but stones belonging to a structure built on Christ.

It is a wonderful image of belonging. Stones are old and brittle, strong and shiny, fractured or solid, large or small, differently shaped and colored – there’s room for all.

Maybe like the piece of slate, you work well with others to accomplish a task, maybe you are protective, maybe you can be spread thin and still not crumble.

Or maybe like the river stone, you have been dragged by forces beyond your control and find yourself here; maybe you’ve been tumbled by life and all the sharp edges of who you were have been worn smooth; maybe these experiences have given you wisdom to share.

Whether you are like one of these stones or another, we are called to be living stones.

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So what does a community of living stones look like?

Well, I think it looks like you!

Solid and dependable,

not easily moved by anything less than the Holy Spirit.

Leaning on each other like stones in a wall,

protecting the vulnerable and marking space for worship.

An imitation of, and a witness to, the One the psalmist calls:

“my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,

[the one] in whom I take refuge, my shield, my stronghold,”

so that our neighbors may know who they can turn to when the storms of life threaten.

You are living stones, just like Peter says. Amen.  

[1] Set in the cobbled path leading up to the castle on St. Michael’s Mount, Cornwall, is this heart shaped rock.

[2] From Mark Ralls reflections on the text for the Christian Century, 5/14/14

[3] From Joel Green’s reflections on the text for workingpreacher.org, 5/7/23

[4] Google’s AI overview says, “A cornerstone is the first stone set in masonry construction, anchoring the foundation and acting as the primary reference point for a building's alignment, stability, and orientation. It historically connects two walls, bears significant structural weight, and often serves as a symbolic, ceremonial monument marking the commencement of construction, frequently holding, or honoring, a time capsule.”