Placed
4 To whom you come, as to a living stone, not honoured by men, but of great and special value to God; 5 You, as living stones, are being made into a house of the spirit, a holy order of priests, making those offerings of the spirit which are pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:4-5 (BBE)
Several years ago my brother and I spent a couple months in Europe, riding the train and seeing as many sites as possible. A great part of the European experience is the many churches, most of which were constructed hundreds of years ago. They are really great works of art and architecture. It was so amazing to walk through them and realize the inspiration, resources, and extreme effort that went into construction of a structure, the purpose of which was to worship and glorify God.
Most of the churches we visited had been completed long ago, and there was one partially damaged church in the middle of Berlin that remained as a memorial to the devastation of the Second World War. There was one church, however, in Barcelona, Spain that was and is still under construction. It is a massive stone structure designed by a famous architect, Antoni Gaudi, and while ground was broke for its construction in 1882, it is still incomplete. I remember walking through it in areas that were still without a roof and noticing stones that had apparently been cut, numbered, and placed into specific piles in the vicinity of where they would be used. It was so different to see this stage of such an amazing structure and realize that each one of those stones, while seemingly insignificant and without purpose on the floor, would some day be an integral part of a completed work of art. When finally placed in the exact spot for which it was designed and hewn, it would take on incredible significance and worth.
I can’t help but think about that scene in relationship to the ongoing construction of the house the great Creator began so very long ago in Christ. It was designed to the smallest detail of each stone and the placement that would bring it ever closer to the completed work. While the overall form has risen high as a demonstration of the glory of God, there is yet a need for each stone that has yet to find its place. Though the plans are impeccable and each dimension is precise in its crafted form, each unique stone will never find its life and its true purpose until it becomes a part of the growing structure. There are many rooms in the house that might not have a roof, that might not have walls, that might not have steps, and are just awaiting the placement of the many connected parts that will bring function and purpose to the living structure. For that to happen there will have to be a loss of isolation and a giving up of the individuality the spot on the floor provides, to become connected and identified with a much greater purpose.
Jesus was the first stone to leave His individual identity to be connected with a greater purpose. He could have remained off to Himself in heaven in His beauty and perfection, but He chose to lose His separated self to become connected with each of us in a structure of even greater significance. How great it is when each of us follows His example and submits to the hands of our craftsman to be placed in His living structure, His body, and His temple. How much greater the value and purpose of the stone that is finally in the specific place for which it was designed so long ago.