Rejected Stones
Sermon
Journey Of Stones
A Sermon Series For Lent And Easter
Dear friends in Christ, grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and his Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
It's a terrible thing to be rejected. To be told in word or attitude or action that we're unacceptable or unworthy or unnecessary is a terrible thing indeed. And I'm wondering tonight if that has ever happened to you. Have you ever been turned down by your college of choice, or not chosen for the job of your dreams, or not selected by that special boy or girl? It's a terrible thing, to be rejected.
I have discovered over a lifetime that rejection can propel us in one of two directions. It can either cause in us resilience and a determination to succeed, or it can make us bitter, resentful, and jaded. Rejection can transform us into caring, sensitive, and compassionate human beings, or it can leave us cold, judgmental, and angry.
As a case in point, let me share with you the words of Dr. James Dobson, written about one who was rejected, and see if you can guess who it was. Dobson writes:
His life began with all the classic handicaps and disadvantages. His mother had been married three times; his father died a few months before he was born. His mother gave him no affection, no love, no discipline, and no training in those early years. She even forbade him to call her at work. Other children would have nothing to do with him. At the age of thirteen, a school psychologist commented that the boy probably didn't know the meaning of the word "love." During adolescence, the girls would have nothing to do with him and he fought with the boys.
As a young adult, he failed academically and then dropped out of high school. He joined the Marines but the other Marines laughed at him and made fun of him. In time, he was court-martialed and thrown out of the military. When he eventually married, his wife belittled him, ridiculed his sexual impotence, and ultimately divorced him.
Finally, in silence, he pleaded no more. No one wanted him. No one had ever wanted him. He was perhaps the most rejected man of our time. Then, one day, he arose, went to the garage and took down a rifle he had hidden there, and brought it to his newly-acquired job at a book storage building. And shortly after noon on November 22, 1963, he sent two shells crashing into the head of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.1
That "most rejected man of our time" was, of course, Lee Harvey Oswald.
In Old Testament times, the Jews were a rejected people. All the powerful and mighty nations of the world looked at them and laughed; they dismissed Israel as an unimportant and dishonored people. But God had a different idea. In the Psalm, which we read a few minutes ago, God spoke of the Jews as stones ... important stones. "The same stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone," the psalmist said.
You should know that, in ancient times, in the days before laser beams and electronic levels, the cornerstone was more than just a place on which to write the date of the building. It was the most important stone in the entire structure. It alone would establish a building's ground level. It alone assured that the foundation would be solid. The cornerstone ensured that all the other stones would be kept in line, straight and level and secure. God said that the people of Israel would be the world's cornerstone, that ultimately they would be powerful and respected and honored. Well, they may have been God's chosen stones, but they were stones rejected by the rest of the world. That's what the words of the psalmist mean.
When Jesus is telling his parable in today's Gospel lesson, he is speaking to those same Jews, the ones who were chosen by God but rejected by the world. They were supposed to be cornerstones. They were supposed to be the moral and ethical and religious compass of humanity, but they became compromised along the way.
God had provided them with everything they would need to be content and happy in this world; their only responsibility was to be faithful and righteous. When God sent prophets and priests to remind the Jews of their responsibility, the Jews rejected them, they ridiculed them, and in some cases, they even killed the prophets. And through the voice of the parable, Jesus suggests to the Jews that they would even kill God's Son if he were to come.
Guess what happened? Now Jesus becomes the cornerstone. He becomes the most important stone in the church. He sets the moral standard. He alone holds the church together. Only he is the foundation upon which the Kingdom of God rests. And he was rejected by the very people who were supposed to receive him. Now the words of the psalmist have come full circle, when Jesus says, "Have you not read this scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief cornerstone.' "
Well, it didn't really come full circle; that doesn't happen until we realize that we too have rejected Jesus as the cornerstone of our lives. We can criticize the Jews all we want to, but we must come to terms with the fact that we too have not let Christ set the moral and ethical standard for us. We say he is, but we fail to follow his call upon our lives. For the most part, Jesus is not the cornerstone that holds us up, but rather the millstone that drags us down. His expectations are too great, we say, so we reject his claim upon our lives and do things our way.
I believe it was Saint Augustine who created the pyramid of priorities, and each of us has one. Here is how it works: we list the six most important things in our life. Maybe they would be family, money, reputation, job, God, and health. But when you're asked to take two away, what would you have left? Perhaps family, job, God, and health. Now eliminate two more. You see the dilemma, don't you? Augustine says that when you get down to that one final thing ... that thing that you say is most valuable ... that becomes the god of your life. That becomes the cornerstone.
You say, "Well, Pastor, we're not ever faced with those sorts of choices, so it's really a silly exercise." I disagree. I think we're faced with those choices on a daily basis, but we have become so accustomed to rationalizing our behavior, we don't see it as rejecting Jesus. It doesn't matter what you call it; that's exactly what it is.
We are soon coming upon the anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. "Columbine" has become synonymous with the anger and angst and disillusionment that seems to permeate our culture today. Two teenage boys -- themselves rejected by their peers -- went on a tragic rampage. One of the people they encountered in the library that afternoon was a young woman by the name of Cassie Burnall. With a gun pointed directly at her face, she was asked if she believed in God. She could have said, "No," and lived. She could have rejected the One whom she believed to be the Cornerstone of her life, and the shooter would have gone to someone else. She said, "Yes." In fact, that is now the title of the book written by Cassie's mom: She Said, "Yes." And they killed her.
Few of us, if any, will ever have to take that kind of stand. But our conflicts of conscience present themselves in everyday settings like telling the truth on our income tax forms or not; being faithful in our marriage or not; giving our children role models they can emulate or not; having integrity in every business dealing or not. These are the ways that we reject Jesus in this present age.
Once again tonight, you hold in your hands a stone. It's an important stone -- perhaps the most important of stones -- because it is symbolic of Jesus as the cornerstone of our lives. Maybe you don't need to lay this stone at the foot of the cross tonight, as indication of the times you have rejected Jesus. Maybe you will take that stone home with you. In your honest introspection, you believe that you have not rejected Jesus in your daily living. Then please take the stone home. But I know what I must do. (Pastor places stone at foot of cross.)
____________
1. Dr. James Dobson, Hide or Seek: How to Build Self-Esteem in Your Child, 1974, Fleming H. Revell Company.
Discussion Questions
1. Jesus implied that he was rejected. "Rejected" is a strong word. Have you ever been rejected (job application, romance, athletic team, group of friends, etc.)? How did that make you feel?
2. In what ways do people reject God today?
3. Jesus asked this question at the end of the parable: "What will the vineyard owner do when he comes back?" Assuming that Jesus is the vineyard owner, how would you answer that question?
It's a terrible thing to be rejected. To be told in word or attitude or action that we're unacceptable or unworthy or unnecessary is a terrible thing indeed. And I'm wondering tonight if that has ever happened to you. Have you ever been turned down by your college of choice, or not chosen for the job of your dreams, or not selected by that special boy or girl? It's a terrible thing, to be rejected.
I have discovered over a lifetime that rejection can propel us in one of two directions. It can either cause in us resilience and a determination to succeed, or it can make us bitter, resentful, and jaded. Rejection can transform us into caring, sensitive, and compassionate human beings, or it can leave us cold, judgmental, and angry.
As a case in point, let me share with you the words of Dr. James Dobson, written about one who was rejected, and see if you can guess who it was. Dobson writes:
His life began with all the classic handicaps and disadvantages. His mother had been married three times; his father died a few months before he was born. His mother gave him no affection, no love, no discipline, and no training in those early years. She even forbade him to call her at work. Other children would have nothing to do with him. At the age of thirteen, a school psychologist commented that the boy probably didn't know the meaning of the word "love." During adolescence, the girls would have nothing to do with him and he fought with the boys.
As a young adult, he failed academically and then dropped out of high school. He joined the Marines but the other Marines laughed at him and made fun of him. In time, he was court-martialed and thrown out of the military. When he eventually married, his wife belittled him, ridiculed his sexual impotence, and ultimately divorced him.
Finally, in silence, he pleaded no more. No one wanted him. No one had ever wanted him. He was perhaps the most rejected man of our time. Then, one day, he arose, went to the garage and took down a rifle he had hidden there, and brought it to his newly-acquired job at a book storage building. And shortly after noon on November 22, 1963, he sent two shells crashing into the head of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.1
That "most rejected man of our time" was, of course, Lee Harvey Oswald.
In Old Testament times, the Jews were a rejected people. All the powerful and mighty nations of the world looked at them and laughed; they dismissed Israel as an unimportant and dishonored people. But God had a different idea. In the Psalm, which we read a few minutes ago, God spoke of the Jews as stones ... important stones. "The same stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone," the psalmist said.
You should know that, in ancient times, in the days before laser beams and electronic levels, the cornerstone was more than just a place on which to write the date of the building. It was the most important stone in the entire structure. It alone would establish a building's ground level. It alone assured that the foundation would be solid. The cornerstone ensured that all the other stones would be kept in line, straight and level and secure. God said that the people of Israel would be the world's cornerstone, that ultimately they would be powerful and respected and honored. Well, they may have been God's chosen stones, but they were stones rejected by the rest of the world. That's what the words of the psalmist mean.
When Jesus is telling his parable in today's Gospel lesson, he is speaking to those same Jews, the ones who were chosen by God but rejected by the world. They were supposed to be cornerstones. They were supposed to be the moral and ethical and religious compass of humanity, but they became compromised along the way.
God had provided them with everything they would need to be content and happy in this world; their only responsibility was to be faithful and righteous. When God sent prophets and priests to remind the Jews of their responsibility, the Jews rejected them, they ridiculed them, and in some cases, they even killed the prophets. And through the voice of the parable, Jesus suggests to the Jews that they would even kill God's Son if he were to come.
Guess what happened? Now Jesus becomes the cornerstone. He becomes the most important stone in the church. He sets the moral standard. He alone holds the church together. Only he is the foundation upon which the Kingdom of God rests. And he was rejected by the very people who were supposed to receive him. Now the words of the psalmist have come full circle, when Jesus says, "Have you not read this scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief cornerstone.' "
Well, it didn't really come full circle; that doesn't happen until we realize that we too have rejected Jesus as the cornerstone of our lives. We can criticize the Jews all we want to, but we must come to terms with the fact that we too have not let Christ set the moral and ethical standard for us. We say he is, but we fail to follow his call upon our lives. For the most part, Jesus is not the cornerstone that holds us up, but rather the millstone that drags us down. His expectations are too great, we say, so we reject his claim upon our lives and do things our way.
I believe it was Saint Augustine who created the pyramid of priorities, and each of us has one. Here is how it works: we list the six most important things in our life. Maybe they would be family, money, reputation, job, God, and health. But when you're asked to take two away, what would you have left? Perhaps family, job, God, and health. Now eliminate two more. You see the dilemma, don't you? Augustine says that when you get down to that one final thing ... that thing that you say is most valuable ... that becomes the god of your life. That becomes the cornerstone.
You say, "Well, Pastor, we're not ever faced with those sorts of choices, so it's really a silly exercise." I disagree. I think we're faced with those choices on a daily basis, but we have become so accustomed to rationalizing our behavior, we don't see it as rejecting Jesus. It doesn't matter what you call it; that's exactly what it is.
We are soon coming upon the anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. "Columbine" has become synonymous with the anger and angst and disillusionment that seems to permeate our culture today. Two teenage boys -- themselves rejected by their peers -- went on a tragic rampage. One of the people they encountered in the library that afternoon was a young woman by the name of Cassie Burnall. With a gun pointed directly at her face, she was asked if she believed in God. She could have said, "No," and lived. She could have rejected the One whom she believed to be the Cornerstone of her life, and the shooter would have gone to someone else. She said, "Yes." In fact, that is now the title of the book written by Cassie's mom: She Said, "Yes." And they killed her.
Few of us, if any, will ever have to take that kind of stand. But our conflicts of conscience present themselves in everyday settings like telling the truth on our income tax forms or not; being faithful in our marriage or not; giving our children role models they can emulate or not; having integrity in every business dealing or not. These are the ways that we reject Jesus in this present age.
Once again tonight, you hold in your hands a stone. It's an important stone -- perhaps the most important of stones -- because it is symbolic of Jesus as the cornerstone of our lives. Maybe you don't need to lay this stone at the foot of the cross tonight, as indication of the times you have rejected Jesus. Maybe you will take that stone home with you. In your honest introspection, you believe that you have not rejected Jesus in your daily living. Then please take the stone home. But I know what I must do. (Pastor places stone at foot of cross.)
____________
1. Dr. James Dobson, Hide or Seek: How to Build Self-Esteem in Your Child, 1974, Fleming H. Revell Company.
Discussion Questions
1. Jesus implied that he was rejected. "Rejected" is a strong word. Have you ever been rejected (job application, romance, athletic team, group of friends, etc.)? How did that make you feel?
2. In what ways do people reject God today?
3. Jesus asked this question at the end of the parable: "What will the vineyard owner do when he comes back?" Assuming that Jesus is the vineyard owner, how would you answer that question?
