May 21, 2011

• Spirit filled stones

  As a child of the ‘70s, the expression “getting stoned” has a very different meaning then the story of Stephan, the first recorded martyr for professed belief in Jesus the Christ.  The word “stone” has very different meanings even in the two passages we heard earlier.  In the story from Acts, the stones are weapons used to kill while the stone in the passage in First Peter is about being a cornerstone like Jesus.  These stones are meant to build up.  There isn’t any real difference in the stones.  The difference is in how we use them.  The difference is in our intention, in our spirit.

   

  We don’t actually carry around stones to hurl at people or to lay the foundation for a building.  What we do carry around with us is our words and actions.  We hurl words at people that are meant to wound or destroy or we undergird others with words meant to bring them comfort or encouragement.  We act toward others in ways that will hurt them or make them feel unworthy or we can behave in ways that support another.  We are either stones of destruction or stones of foundation based upon our intent.  Sometimes we may believe we are doing the right thing when we hurt or judge another person based on what we believe.  We attack others out of what we believe to be righteous anger.  We should consider that the people who were throwing stones at Stephan were doing so because they believed he had blasphemed.  Saul watched the stoning of Stephen and believed it was the right thing.  He went on to persecute many more Christians because he believed they were outside of God’s will.  It was only when he had a Spirit filled encounter with the Christ that he understood the error of his words and actions.  Saul became Paul and he became one of the first champions of the inclusive nature of God’s love.  He argued for the inclusion of the gentiles without requiring them to become Jews first.  When we use our religion to condemn and to reject, we are acting like those who stoned Stephan and the Spirit is not in our actions.

   

  Most of us probably believe we don’t hurl harmful words and actions at others because we don’t speak harshly or we don’t say condemning things. But, what about when you share someone else’s story without their permission?  What about when we share something that we don’t know for ourselves to be true?  Our words can be just as hurtful and destructive when we are sharing information that is not ours to tell or that is not something we know to be true.  Too often in church communities we feel it is appropriate to talk about each other as an expression of our concern.  We share information as a prayer concern and therefore it isn’t gossip.  These words can cause harm to those whose story is being shared without their knowledge or permission.  We tear people down when we offer judging or condemning words and call it constructive criticism.  We do harm to others when we tell others the motivation and intention of someone when we have no way of knowing their motivation or intention.  It is too easy for us to stone others when we say and do things thoughtlessly. 

   

  We as Christians are called to be cornerstones, building blocks just as Jesus is the cornerstone.  Jesus said to us he would send the Spirit to us to guide us so we could not only do what he did but do even greater things.  As Spirit filled stones we are to build up, we are to make the world better, stronger, safer for everyone.  Good building blocks are solid, well grounded, and designed to hold weight on them.  As building stones we speak only from what we know to be true and we speak directly to those we seek to support.  Words and actions that build up are words that speak about what we feel, believe, and desire.  As building blocks we will use mostly “I” statements and avoid “you” statements.  We will choose words and actions that reflect what we believe to be God’s will for ourselves and will avoid expressions about what is God’s will for someone else.  If we follow the example set for us by Jesus, we will seek more to connect others with God than to make them do our will.  Jesus taught most effectively by the example of his life rather than creating a lot of rules and requirements for others.  The most stinging criticism Jesus had was for those who abused their religious authority or their religious beliefs to create hardship for others.  The challenge for us is to do the same.

   

  I suggest the best way for us to be building blocks and not weapons is to ask ourselves what we believe the impact of our words and actions will be on others.  We can ask ourselves, “How will these words or actions make the world better or encourage another?”  Before we speak, we should consider whether what we are about to say is our story to tell and do we know it to be true.  Before we express a criticism of another, we can think about a way to express ourselves in a positive way.  It is always more constructive to offer a suggestion of a better way to do something than to criticize what has been done or suggested.  When we consider sharing information as a prayer request, we may want to remember that God knows the details even better than we do.  When we ask for details about someone else’s health or domestic situation, we may want to remember that we don’t have to have the details to be supportive and hold them up in prayer.  When we want to know what is happening in someone else’s life, we may want to consider the best person to ask is that person directly and then keep what we are told to ourselves.  You see, stones aren’t really designed to carry tales, they are much better are being supports.

   

  We will be more content and the world will be a better place if we choose to allow the Spirit to use us as building blocks than if we allow ourselves to used as weapons of destruction.  Amen

  • 6:54 pm
  • 3 Comments