April 9, 2021
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy, we pray with Psalm 118:
The stone which the builders rejected
Psalm 118:22
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
That “Stone”, rejected by the builders, is the Crucified Christ, the sight of whom was an abomination to those who expected a battle-victorious messiah.
But Jesus is among us to stand in contradiction to everything that limits the power of God. In Jesus’s Name
- the poor are rich
- the lost are found
- the foolish are wise
- the persecuted are blessed
- the dead are raised to life
As Peter says in Acts, worldly rejection holds no sway over the power of this Name:
There is no salvation through anyone else,
Acts 4:12
nor is there any other name under heaven
given to the human race by which we are to be saved
This is the mysterious lesson of the Cross, a lesson accessed only through faith, a faith the disciples exercise in today’s beautiful Gospel story.
This morning, we might wish to join Jesus for his “Breakfast on the Beach”, feeding our spirits in his resurrected Light. The truth he gives us goes beyond any purely human understanding. Let us listen with our deep hearts; see with grace-filled eyes.
Poetry: True Cornerstone by Robert Morris, a prominent American poet of the mid-19th century
What is the Mason's cornerstone? Does the mysterious temple rest On earthly ground — from east to west — From north to south — and this alone? What is the Mason's cornerstone? Is it to toil for fame and pelf, To magnify our petty self, And love our friends — and this alone? No, no; the Mason's cornerstone — A deeper, stronger, nobler base, Which time and foe cannot displace — IS FAITH IN God — and this alone! 'Tis this which makes the mystic tie Loving and true, divinely good, A grand, united brotherhood, Cemented 'neath the All-seeing Eye. 'Tis this which gives the sweetest tone To Mason's melodies; the gleam To loving eyes; the brightest gem That sparkles in the Mason's crown. 'Tis this which makes the Mason's grip A chain indissolubly strong; It banishes all fraud, and wrong, And coldness from our fellowship. Oh, cornerstone, divine, divine! Oh, FAITH IN God ! it buoys us up, And gives to darkest hours a hope, And makes the heart a holy shrine. Brothers, be this your cornerstone; Build every wish and hope on this; Of present joy, of future bliss, On earth, in Heaven — and this alone!
Music: Loed, When You Came – Kitty Cleveland
Lord, when you came to the seashore
you weren’t seeking the wise or the wealthy,
but only asking that I might follow.
O Lord, in my eyes you were gazing,
Kindly smiling,My name you were saying;
All I treasured,I have left on the sand there;
Close to you, I will find other seas.Señor me has mirado a los ojos,
Sonriendo has dicho mi nombre,
En la rena he dejado mi barca,
junto a ti buscaré otro mar.Lord, you knew what my boat carried:
Neither money nor weapons for fighting,
but nets for fishing my daily labor.Lord, have you need of my labor, hands for service,
A heart made for loving, my arms for lifting the poor and broken?Lord, send me where you would have me, to a village,
Or heart of the city; I will remember that you are with me.
Lavish Mercy 