Cornerstone

Ephesians 2:21-22 NIV: “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.”

Thousands of years before Jesus walked on earth, Egyptians not only used large foundational cornerstones to start a building project, but they also had detailed foundation rituals surrounding the placement of that stone.

In scriptures, as far back as the Psalms in the Old Testament, Christ was identified as the coming cornerstone, and Christ himself claimed this in most of the gospels.

The significance and symbolism of Christ as our cornerstone is rich in meaning. The Cornerstone, first of all, offers alignment and orientation. It becomes the reference point for the entire structure. Second, it has structural significance, providing stability and bearing the weight of the building. Finally, it unifies and becomes the point that connects two walls. Let’s dwell on that for a moment. Think of all the ways Christ unites two different things! Jews and Gentiles, 12 tribes of old and 12 apostles of new, rich and poor, women and men, sinners and righteous, and bringing enemies together.

This verse above perfects the metaphor, with Paul reiterating what Christ said universally but then expounding to speak to us individually. While it is true that in Christ, we can be unified today as families, in politics, in ethnicities, and with denominations, that can only happen if we personally and internally are unifying different aspects of ourselves.

Bringing our whole selves together is known in psychology as integration. I believe it’s a spiritual journey where we unify our body, thoughts, and emotions into one balanced and whole self. That is a tall task, and as Paul alludes to it, it is a process that the Holy Spirit ultimately does in us. Just like the importance of the cornerstone in building, the Holy Spirit provides alignment, a reference point, stability, weight-bearing, and the ability to join two separate parts/walls when we consider internal work.

In my art piece, the block made of multiple small shapes and colors was how I represented the personal process of fusing all the unique parts of ourselves. Paul wisely understands that while the Holy Spirit does work on the micro level (ourselves), the macro work of unification is simultaneously happening between groups of people.

Of course, this is only possible through (and on) Christ, our foundation. Remember to turn to him and allow him to build and unify us!