Precious stones coming alive

James Cathcart September 11, 2026 4 2

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Ephesians 2: 17–22 (NIV-UK)

17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

The Bible is not a book, it’s a place. It’s not something we read, it’s somewhere we go.

And Christians are not caretakers of crumbling old buildings. We are living stones who come together to create somewhere for God to live.

As Jacob learned at the start of this week, God is not elsewhere. God is here. And as Paul says, God is not only next to us, but within us and between us.

In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul argues that believers can no longer be strangers to one another. Building blocks spread out on on their own are just a pile of rubble. The Holy Spirit works through us to make something more than the sum of our parts. From this perspective other people can’t just be objects to be used or avoided, but persons worthy of respect, compassion and love. Each person we meet is a precious stone ready to come to life — to be part of us.

And what if there is more that unites us than separates us? What if the instincts of our hearts are right — when they break for someone thousands of miles away we have never met? What if our soul is right when we look at the little blue dot in the vastness of space and we feel this profound sense of belonging, of being part of something? Of closeness? The closeness of a drystone wall — each stone carefully placed, each vital.

Prayer:

Dear God,

When we come to the Bible

we each carry our own stone to add to the cairn

trusting that your expert hands

will find a place for all of us

nestled together

storm-bound

on the hillside of your love.

Amen.