My Friend John

My forty three years of preaching took me to ten different churches.  There are a lot of folks whose pathway I crossed in all those years.  If I had to list the names of all the people in all those churches, I would fail miserably.  I remember a lot of folks, but not all.  Some are remembered more than others and some are remembered in association with some particularity.   As I read the Scripture from I Peter 2 and then from Ephesians 2 about Jesus being the cornerstone, I remembered John from St. John Church in Columbus.  John will never be forgotten because of the way he prayed for me, but also because of his love for the song, "Jesus is the Cornerstone."    

John was a member of the choir, had a rich deep voice, and whenever he had an opportunity to sing a solo, Cornerstone was his song.  Every time I have heard that song over the years, it is not some well known vocalist I hear singing it, but John.   He sang it with such passion. "Jesus is the Cornerstone.  Came for sinners to atone.  Though rejected by His own,  He became the Cornerstone. Jesus is the Cornerstone."    

The Apostle Peter went to the writing of the prophet Isaiah at this point in his letter.  The Old Testament prophet wrote about "a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame."  The Apostle Paul wrote about Jesus and the community of believers  saying, "...built...with Jesus Christ Himself as the cornerstone.  In Him the whole structure is joined together..."  (Ephesians 2:20-21).   John loved the song.  He loved the Cornerstone.  He loved the church. May the telling of his story and faith continue to be like seeds being planted for the Kingdom of the Christ.