Sunday, February 9, 2020. Rev. Annamarie Groenenboom, preaching.Scripture Readings: 1 Peter 2:4-10; Hebrews 10:19-25

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SERMON TEXT

Today, we enter into the final

chapter of our four part series on the intersection between heaven and earth.

For the past four weeks, we have been learning and discussing how God’s space, heaven, and our space, earth, interconnect.

Heaven and earth once started together and people could feel God’s presence

always, but because of sin, we have become separate. But not all hope is lost

to feel God’s presence. We still feel God’s presence in “thin places.” The

“thin places” are where heaven and earth overlap. These thin places can be

different for everyone. Some people find “thin places” in nature like the beach

or ocean. Some people experience “thin places” in moments of life like at the

moment of birth or the moment of death.

There have been several places in history that many people would describe as “thin places.” Several weeks ago, Pastor Scott told us about the Tabernacle — the mobile tent that was the place of worship for the Israelites when they were in the wilderness. And then, Pastor Jen told us about the Temple and the Holy of Holies — and how the people of Israel, including Jesus, worshipped at the Temple in Jerusalem. The Western Wall of the Temple is still a “thin place” to this day in Jerusalem for many people. And last week, Pastor Scott told us about Jesus Christ and how he became God’s presence in this world. Today, we’ve finally made it to the end of this series where we will talk about our final intersection between heaven and earth: the church.

Our two passages for today are very different in content, style, and function. 1 Peter is a letter written to a group of churches in Asia Minor. Most of the members of these churches were gentiles. On the other hand, Hebrews, which happens to be one of my favorite books of the New Testament, isn’t a letter at all. Hebrews is a sermon given to a church that is being persecuted for their faith in Christ. While passages that we read today are very different, they agree on one thing. The church’s identity is based on Jesus Christ. It’s hard to talk about a community without first talking about its leader.

Hebrews describes Jesus as opening the curtain in the Temple which separated the Holy of Holies from the people. Through Jesus sacrifice, Jesus allows everyone to experience the presence of God. First Peter uses a different and possibly more familiar image for Jesus and his relationship to the church. The author of First Peter calls Jesus the cornerstone on which all other stones of the house are built. Jesus is the basis for the church and its intersection between heaven and earth.

Continuing with the theme of stones, the author of First Peter states that each  one of us needs to be a living stone. Yesterday, I visited the Museum of Natural History and looked at a lot of stones and rocks. I realized I didn’t think of any them as being alive. They can’t really move on their own, they don’t breathe, they don’t have a heart. So, I asked my big brother, who works as a geologist for the Airforce, if stones are actually alive. My brother stated that while stones don’t breathe they are always changing. This change could be from erosion, sedimentation, or being uplifted.

If we are to be like living stones, we need to open ourselves up to being changed and transformed. We must not be stagnant and unchanging. We must instead be life-giving.

I want you to notice that First Peter doesn’t command us to build for ourselves a spiritual house. First Peter asks us to “let yourselves be built into a spiritual house.” By being living stones, we allow ourselves to be built, shaped, and changed by God on the cornerstone of Christ. The church is a special community that is built by God and allows us to feel