Worship

Easter 5                             May 3, 2026
1 Peter 2:4-10                     Pastor Ryan Wolfe
“One Stone, One House, One People”

Putting up a building today is quite a bit different than it was in Jesus’ day. Between power tools, surveying equipment, self-balancing laser levels, and a whole array of modern construction materials – it really is a whole different thing. That said, the most basic elements haven’t changed at all. You have to have a quality foundation if you want to have a quality building. The building needs to be square or the rooms won’t come out right. Today we have cement to make the foundation solid. We have all kinds of technology to make a building square. In Jesus’ day they used a stone. A cornerstone.

The cornerstone was the first stone to be laid on every building. It was absolutely critical. You see, the cornerstone was the stone that all the walls were built off of. A true and square cornerstone would mean that the walls were built at 90 degree angles and the opposite side of the building would come together perfectly. The building would be true and the walls would be strong. A poor cornerstone, though, if it wasn’t exactly right, would ruin the rest of the whole project.

The part of Peter’s first letter that we look at for our sermon today is perfect for confirmation weekend. God describes our faith, all of us together in faith, using the picture of a spiritual house. And even though we are all separate living stones being built up together into that house, God’s Church is defined by what it is built on and built into. Especially for you being confirmed, but truly for all of us – this is what you need to remember as you make your vow of faithfulness to God. We are built from One Stone into One House, serving God together as One People.

Since the cornerstone was the most important part of any building, it doesn’t surprise us that Peter begins by describing the cornerstone of the church. Peter begins describing the Church with a description of Christ. He is “the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him.” The believers that Peter was writing to didn’t need a reminder of how others rejected Jesus. They lived under a government that allowed, if not encouraged, the persecution of Christians. Their coworkers and neighbors rejected the news of a Messiah. They knew the events that happened just decades earlier when Jesus himself stood in front of a crowd calling out “Crucify! Crucify!” No, they understood how their Savior had been rejected by men. We see the same today as enemies of Jesus refuse their Savior and choose to hold onto their sin instead.

This One Stone who is everything that we build or faith on is one that others stumble over. Peter quotes Isaiah 8 in verse eight, calling Jesus, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” It’s a different word for stone here, and the picture is that of a rock that sticks up out of the ground and causes people to trip over it. How would Jesus cause someone to stumble? Think back to the accounts of Jesus’ resurrection. Knowing the truth didn’t mean accepting the truth. Remember the Jewish leaders paying the guards to cover up Jesus’ resurrection by spreading the rumor that the disciples stole the body? They knew the truth, but they didn’t want to believe it. Perhaps you’ve come across people with the same mindset. I have. They know there is a God. Maybe they even know what God says. They just don’t want to hear it.

For some, Jesus is a stumbling block because Scripture’s plan to save us is too simple. Why would God, holy and perfect, love sinful mankind? Why would God, they ask, sacrifice his Son instead of just forgiving everyone? And he does this for free? The very Gospel promise that Jesus does it all for us, becomes the stumbling block to them. You must understand this truth about the Christian faith. Building your hope for heaven on this One Stone means giving up control. It means acknowledging that you can’t save yourself. You can’t do enough. All we do is hear God’s promise and receive his blessing. For many, that’s too much. For us? It’s all that matters.

We should address one phrase in verse eight. It says, “They stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were destined for.” Does God want some to go to hell? Of course not. Think of Pharaoh in Moses’ time. Plague after plague proved God’s power, yet Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his heart and refused to obey. I was only after his own hardening that the text says God himself hardened Pharaoh’s heart and let him have it his way. Those who stumble over Christ are destined for judgment not because God wants it (he wants all men to be saved, remember?) – No they’re destined for judgment because it is the inevitable consequence of their rejection. One Stone, a stumbling block for those unwilling to believe, but the foundation of it all for we have the Spirit’s gift of faith.

Peter quotes Psalm 118, saying, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.” (The NIV translation “capstone” is a bit uncertain. The word means at its root the “chief” stone.) Jesus is the greatest stone in the church because he is the great key to our salvation. He is a living stone – “the Way, the truth, the life” in our Gospel reading. The name by which we may be saved from our first reading. Jesus is the most important block in the whole building of the Church because he is the one who paid for sins. He is the one who alone defeated death and brought lasting life into the world. He is the foundation of what we believe and what we hope for.

And the house in which this living stone is placed is a house where we are placed as well. Verse five: “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,” You see, Jesus isn’t the only living stone in the house of God. He is the One Stone on which the Church is built, but each of us are living stones that form the whole temple of God. You confirmands, members, believers – you are part of the One House where the Most High dwells.

This can be a difficult blessing to remember. The truth of being part of this One House can be hard to hold onto when Christians aren’t being as Christian as they could. When selfishness rears its head or hurt overtakes love and we find division in the house of God. The One House is divided during our time on earth due to false teachings and false beliefs that make it impossible to celebrate together now as we will celebrate together in heaven.

We fall prey to losing the meaning of the One House when we look at each other through the world’s eyes rather than Christ’s. As you stand up from your confirmation vows I pray that you look at generations past with eyes of grace. That you look at those with different plans and different thoughts as fellow stones in the same building of Christ. Not every stone in a building is the same, is it? They must be different for the building to be strong. Peter’s picture of the One House of Christ is just like Paul’s picture of the One Body of Christ. So look at what kind of living stone God has made you to be, and let no one take away your place in this House. You are the sharers of the Gospel that God needs. You are the givers of offerings. The leaders of churches. The singers, the planners, the cleaners, the helpers, the visitors. Because this One House built on One Stone is made of One People.

A people defined by how different we are from what we were. Verse ten shows us that faith is not a spectrum, where you might be part citizen of this world and part child of God. It’s one or the other. “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Being a believer, being a part of this House of God, changes you. It changes your priorities and your choices in life. It changes your view of the people around you and the world you live in. We are not individual islands in the stream of time. We are, together, the people of God. Members of a kingdom that will last forever. Know this, with absolute certainty: as a believer, you are never alone.

Citizenship in God’s kingdom comes with benefits and responsibilities. Another time I’ll preach a whole sermon just on verse nine. For now, notice the titles God gives and the task God lays out for you. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

We who have received God’s mercy are part of something greater. A people that God has chosen. A nation declared holy because of Christ’s loving sacrifice. The priests of Judaism were God’s highest servants. They were privileged to be the only ones to enter certain parts of God’s house. They were the only ones to serve God with sacrifices. And now, we are God’s priests, and royal priests at that.

Make no mistake – your service and worship to God aren’t limited to an hour on Sunday. Our lives of worship and service are more than singing hymns, saying prayers, and being generous when the offering plate is passed. Those are important, of course, and we rejoice in our unity here, but our lives of worship, service, and faith go out far beyond the walls of this building. I hope and pray you recognize your place in God’s plan. You are a priest serving God with every moment of your life, every word out of your mouth.

And how do you serve? By declaring the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Brothers and sisters, for that is what we are in Christ, go out from our public worship this week singing God’s praises in your private life of worship every day. Rejoice in One Stone, One House, and One People. Jesus is the foundation of our hope. Our guide for life. Sing his praises. Rejoice in his promises. And serve him with gladness. To God be the glory. Amen.