Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
Ephesians 2:19,20
We all build on what we’ve learned and experienced.
I was raised in the kitchen and at the apron strings of a first-generation Italian American woman. I learned how to make Italian cookies, breads, pizzelles[1]. Under her influence I learned how to make tomato sauce by the gallon. Spaghetti in five-pound increments. Handmade ravioli and meatballs.
In addition to canned tomatoes, here’s her recipe for spaghetti sauce.
1 pound beef
1 pound pork
1 pound veal
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
There was nothing ground in her sauce. The meat was put into the sauce just as it came from the store. Pieces, chops, and chunks of meat were put in just as they were.
Funny thing about her sauce, even though it had all this meat, she didn’t brown it. It went into the sauce raw and slowly cooked for hours in the tomatoes.
In case you didn’t know it. this is the total opposite of just about everyone else on planet Earth when it comes to cooking meat. Everyone, and I mean everyone always, always, always, browns the meat first to build flavor.
But not my mom. And not her mom. The meat was slowly stewed in tomato sauce. Hour upon hour, the meat was gently cooked through by the surrounding tomatoes and sauce. And when it was done, the meat just fell apart. My brother and I would fight over the meat because it was just so delicious and tender.
When it comes to our faith, we also build on the faith of others. How we were shown the faith. Who our teachers and mentors were. What they taught us. How they lived.
Faith from the Bible has a foundation and cornerstone. The apostles and prophets are the foundation. They are the large, heavy blocks that rest on the bedrock of who God is. What God has said. What God has done.
Did you notice something? There were prophets (plural) and apostles (plural.) There were more than one prophet and more than one apostle. But there’s more than a terrific and sturdy foundation.
There is a person. One person. And that person is Jesus. Fully God. Fully man. He’s not just a cornerstone. No, he’s the chief cornerstone. But its more than that.
Did you see what it says? Christ Jesus himself is the chief cornerstone.
Yes, what he said is important. Yes, what he did is important too. But they come from within who he is. The cornerstone of all Christianity is in the person of Jesus Christ. Period.
Jesus has terrific moral and spiritual teaching, unlike anyone else. He also lived a unique life that’s unmatched in all of history. But there is something more. Or, should I say, someone more.
Because Jesus was and is a person, we don’t have to just sit back and listen to his words spoken long ago, which are important. We don’t have to look at his historical actions and reactions to life, even though are also valuable.
Jesus is alive today. We can go to the living Jesus and ask for help. We can run to Jesus today when life runs off the rails. We can collapse into his open arms when all hell breaks loose. We can cry out to him when there are no words to express the hurt. Loneliness. Pain. Suffering.
Faith in Christ is extremely personal. There’s a one-to-one, deeply personal, intimate connection and relationship with God the creator, and sustainer of the universe. Not some lesser god. Not some prophet. Not a dead moral teacher from years gone by.
No. He’s alive. Raised from the dead and sitting on the right-hand of God the Father Almighty. And we can have a direct child-parent connection with him. And as we all know, our heavenly Father always welcomes his children. He never gives bad things to his children. He never denies them.
And as his child, we always, always, always, have an open door to our heavenly Father.
So. What’s stopping us from going in right now?
Noodling Questions
With all the political unrest, how does being a “fellow citizen” sound to you?
What role do you think you play in God’s household?
How does having Jesus as your “chief cornerstone” impact your daily life?
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzelle
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