A Cornerstone

   One of the things that Mayre Lou and I have done in the past as we traveled across the state of Georgia, was to stop at county courthouses, especially the older ones, and take some pictures. The one above is the Terrell County courthouse in Dawson, Ga. This turn of the century building shows the architecture of the period and is still a working courthouse for this county today. It is fun to walk around the building and try to find the cornerstone, which is not always easy. This would tell us the date the building was started, and, being interested in history, it was a good way to learn about the area.

   The scripture reading for today was in Mark 12 and talked about Jesus being the cornerstone, the chief cornerstone that the builders rejected.

   “‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” (ESV)

   Cornerstones are important items, whether they be actual stones, or maybe words, or even a person. Martin Luther, when talking about what he had written and nailed to the German church door, is reported to have used the words, "Here I Stand", signifying a cornerstone in his life.

   When a person, or even a whole church body, stand and repeat the words to the Apostle's Creed, they are confirming that the words contained in the creed are foundational, a cornerstone of their belief.

   But, both Luther and the church as a whole, are not saying that it is the words that are the most important. They are but expressions that point to a person. The foundation of the church and of each individual believer is Jesus Christ Himself. He is the chief cornerstone of our faith. 

   This is the cornerstone on which I stand, and to use Luther's ideas in a slightly different paraphrase, "This is where I stand, I can do no other".