Today is Monday the 30th of May, and this week as we move towards Pentecost, we continue to join in with the global prayer movement Thy Kingdom Come.
Each day we are reflecting on a part of Peter’s first letter with insights from the Most Revd Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly, to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God.
Creator God, who formed humanity from dust, breathe in me again. Revive me and sanctify me by the power of Your Spirit. Set my heart on fire with the good news of Your gospel.
I choose to rejoice in God’s deliverance today, joining with the ancient praise of all God’s people in the words of Psalm 116…
O LORD, I am your servant;
Psalm 116:16-18 (NLT)
yes, I am your servant, born into your household;
you have freed me from my chains.
I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the LORD.
I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people.
Today I am reflecting on Peter’s letter to the exiled believers under his care. They are persecuted, rejected and scattered, but in some mysterious way also being built together as God’s house.
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
‘See, I lay a stone in Zion,
1 Peter 2:4-6 (NIVUK)
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.’
This passage is good news to those of us who have struggled with shame, who have felt rejected and can’t seem to figure out how we fit in God’s plan.
‘To be a living stone is to glorify God with our lives, rather than build to our own glory or power. It is to transform the way we understand power and status. It is to go exactly where God needs us to be. It is to transform and be transformed – from being ignored, neglected, and oppressed – to being a part of God’s divine plan. It is to inhabit the language of living as God’s people. And each person is essential in this.’*
Have I ever felt ignored, neglected, ashamed?
God would you show me where you are at work healing me, shaping me, making me part of the house You are building? Come Lord and build Your house.
God I pray for the misfits, the misunderstood and the marginalised. Would you put the lonely in families, would you lead out the prisoners with singing (Psalm 68:6)? Come Lord and build Your house.
As I return to the passage, I open my ears to hear Your word, and my heart to yield to Your will once again.
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
‘See, I lay a stone in Zion,
1 Peter 2:4-6 (NIVUK)
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.’
Every building begins with the foundation. Archbishop Justin comments,
‘No structure will ever hold if the foundations aren’t deep and sure. As Christians, as living stones in the construction of God, we have one foundation: Jesus Christ.’ **
God I want to glorify You with my life. I want to go where You need me to be. I want to be transformed. I want to be part of Your divine plan. Come Lord and build Your house.
And now, as I prepare to take this time of prayer into the coming day, the Lord who loves me says in Matthew:
I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Matthew 16:18 (NIVUK)
Father, help me to live this day to the full,
being true to You, in every way.
Jesus, help me to give myself away to others,
being kind to everyone I meet.
Spirit, help me to love the lost,
proclaiming Christ in all I do and say.
Amen.
* Archbishop Justin Welby, Thy Kingdom Come: Novena, Reflections on 1 Peter, (London: Church House Publishing 2022), Day 4, p. 12.
**Ibid
