by Rev Don Schatz

A Spiritual House.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
I Peter 2:5, New International Version

There is a stony beach on the Redwood Coast, of Northern California, that is a great place to hunt for agates.  A good friend has found them as large as the palm of your hand, just lying on the beach.  As you can tell, I almost always had to hunt for them, but even that is surprisingly enjoyable.

The Lord selected stones, living stones, to build his spiritual house…his church.  Look in the mirror today.  You are one of the stones the Lord selected…on purpose.  When we look for agates, we are looking for stones already made beautiful.  The Lord chose us when sin marred the original creative genius of his heart.  He made us beautiful in the image of His Son.  The stones of the Jerusalem Temple were torn down by the Romans two millennia ago, but it doesn’t matter.

The Church is the true Temple of the Lord, and we are his building blocks.

In the wonder of the Lord’s new creation, we are not only the spiritual house, but also the priests offering the acceptable sacrifices to God!  Your prayers are holy and good, incense wafting its fragrant way to the Lord.

If you live near the beach, head there today and find a sea-worn stone, maybe an agate.  If you don’t live near the beach, find a stone large enough to draw a cross on with a permanent marker.  Put your stone somewhere where you will see it.  It can be a reminder of what the Lord has done for you.  It will be reminder of who you are…one chosen and molded by the Lord, in the image of his Son, to bear his light, to offer prayer and praise…an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord.

Holy God, Lord of all, thank you for making me beautiful and including me in your holy temple, the Church.  Amen.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO