376 -- Living in a Living Stone House

February 5 (2/5) -- in Godsfield -- 1 Peter 2:5

(For Better or Verse: Each day in 2025 I will begin this Godsfield e-mail with a Bible verse that corresponds with the month (chapter 1-12) and day (verse 1-31) it is sent. This month features a lot of second chapters! Those with eyes and ears, let them see and hear.)

4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 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.

Hey, Peter, thank you for the letters you contributed to the New Testament. I know you didn't write them for that purpose, since there was no New Testament, or even a "special writings" website for collecting the good stuff, the God stuff, that is in there; that God lifted up to be in there.

I also know you know the Holy Spirit's hand on this, but I want you to know how much I appreciate it.

And to apologize.

I read your letters from time to time, especially when I wanted to read something short in the Bible, but I must confess I often overlooked you. I would look for the one-chapter letters, and then pick a short Paul letter -- Philippians usually popped up -- but your writings were tucked in the back and easily overlooked. You didn't have a lot of influence on my Bible learning.

I apologize for that.

I've always appreciated you, as you walked with Jesus in the gospels. You said lots of right things and plenty of wrong things, but that just made you relatable. You were a man of action and that got you in trouble, I know, but the way Jesus let you off, especially that fish thing, made me feel assured.

Your Pentecost sermon was great -- yeah, I know you were "under the influence" --but that's what everyone was waiting for. And the way you and Paul figured things out, by the hand of God, that was a real model for the way we all need to work together for the Kingdom.

Which brings me to today's reading. Living Stones, built into a spiritual house. One of the nice things about "discovering" your letters later in life, is that there is fresh discovery and renewed joy that the Spirit provides. You quote scripture so it feels familiar, we quote you without giving you credit perhaps (I know that doesn't bother you) but then, when the letter is placed as one before me, it gives me a complete picture that hits just right.

It's been there all along, and yet, it shows up today. That's how faith stays active and alive; certain verses and phrases and images light up and come alive, having sat on a page for how long before being seen.

That is the living part of living stones, isn't it? We are alive and part of the Spiritual House of God, which is not dead, but surely alive. You had a lot to do with that Peter.

Just imagine, you rattled off those letters to -- whomever -- and it's rattled around in our hearts and spiritual house all these years later. Dead things don't do that.

We are living stones. Thank you Peter. Thank you Lord.

Love ya,

Paul