Good Morning Friends,
This morning I am reading the lectionary selections of scripture and thinking about the people around the world and the storms they have faced, and about something storms inevitably reveal: the strength of a structure.
That is true not only of houses and bridges but also of our lives. The storms of life test us physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. And what survives often depends upon the foundation and structure’s integrity.
Jesus prayed through the night before choosing the twelve who would help build His ministry. Even then, one would fall away. Paul gives us another building image: God’s people joined together into a dwelling place for God, with Christ Himself as the cornerstone.
And so we ask, What Is The Connection Between Our Relationship With Christ And The Strength Of Our Homes?
Scripture: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.”
Ephesians 2:19–22 (NRSV)
“Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God… And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them.”
Luke 6:12–16 (NRSV)
Message: When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he reminded Gentile Christians that something extraordinary had happened. They were no longer strangers. They had become citizens of God’s Kingdom and members of God’s household. Their identity had changed. Paul pictures this new community as a building with Jesus Christ as its cornerstone. A cornerstone determines the alignment of everything connected to it. If Christ is our cornerstone, then our marriages, families, friendships, churches, work, and priorities must increasingly come into alignment with Him. This is not about architecture. It is about how we live and love when the storms come. We easily build our identity around being a spouse, parent, employee, citizen, or member of a particular group. These relationships matter deeply, but none of them can carry the full weight of our identity. Only Christ can do that.
And So, perhaps the great question is not whether storms will come, but what will they reveal about our foundation? Paul saw a Kingdom more enduring than Rome. It has no borders that can contain it and no locked doors that can keep out the risen Christ. It is God’s reign taking root within ordinary people and transforming the way they live together. When Christ becomes our cornerstone, He doesn’t weaken our other relationships. He strengthens them. His love teaches us how to love. His forgiveness teaches us how to forgive. His sacrifice teaches us how to serve. And His resurrection reminds us that even suffering and death do not have the final word. The strongest home, therefore, is not necessarily the one that experiences the fewest storms. It is the one whose foundation holds when the storms arrive. Our resilience begins with knowing we belong to Christ. Christ is our cornerstone.
Pray we find our identity first in Christ. Pray that our homes and relationships are strengthened by His love. Pray we remember that we are not strangers or guests but permanent members of God’s household. Pray we stop comparing ourselves with the other stones and allow God, the divine Architect, to fit us into His greater purpose. Pray for those facing physical and spiritual storms today. And pray that our homes, churches, and relationships become dwelling places where others can see the strength, peace, and love of the risen Christ.
Blessings,
John Lawson
