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

I like this parable from Ephesians 2/19-22. It shows the importance of being a part of the church, a part of the living congregation. It is true that we are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. But in order to grow we need to be a part of the church. Jesus does not need the church, but we are those who need it. We need the church in order to be stronger in our faith. If we imagine the church as a material building. In that building Jesus himself is the foundation. Then all the members of the church are like stones and all of us have our role to play. Some might be smaller stones, some might be bigger. Some might be ugly stones built somewhere in the middle away from the visible surface. Some stones might be on the front surface, visible, beautifully designed with decorations. What is important is emphasis that all stones matter. In Ephesians is also written that Jesus is a cornerstone. Builders of the house of God (the church) or believers must not throw away any of stones belonging to this temple. We may be wondering what it means. It means that the church might look like the real temple.

There are people who shine. They are front stones full of decoration. They are pious, they pray every day many times, they are considered to be the “best” Christians. There are stones – people who are barely visible. Inner stones. They come to the church once a month or occasionally. Sometimes more often, sometimes more rarely. There are people who are struggling with some temptation of various type. People who are not as shinny as those standing on the front wall. But what would happen with the church if the church lets only the most beautiful stones standing. If we start throwing away stone by stone for this reason and that reason. The entire building would be destroyed to dust. My message today, based on Ephesians chapter that we quote is love one another as a true family. Accept one another with all strength and weaknesses. Respect the differences between each other. And bear of mind that even though we are all different stones, we all have one foundation and that is Jesus. And we all build the perfect body of Christ.