mentions here, are the foundation of the Church. Jesus Christ himself is the chief cornerstone in the foundation. Some scholars believe that the foundation stone in ancient buildings was a huge stone that may have been seven feet in its scope. Others are not convinced that the stone is in its foundation but is instead the gem stone, which is the stone set in the archway of the building. That stone is called the foundation stone and kept the whole structure fitted together so it could not fall apart. Whether the emphasis is on the foundation or on the archway, it is basically the same: Christ is the foundation stone which holds the Church together.
The Basic Stones in the Church’s Foundation
As we reflect on the Church, we need to understand what some of the basic stones are within the church’s foundation. When these stones are incorporated in the foundation, they will enable us to build a structure worthy of being called the Church of Christ. A church building under construction is important, but even more important is the building of the people. We the people constitute the Church, and the building houses the Church, so we can be Christ’s people in the world.
The Foundation of Personal Commitment
Paul wrote about the necessity of the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. You and I are also a part of that kind of foundation. We are a part of the continuing building of the Church by our own sense of commitment as new disciples to the Christ as the early disciples were by their initial commitment to him. One of the cardinal stones in the foundation of the Church is the personal experience of individual people who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ. Our faith is supposed to be very personal, just as the early disciples had a very personal experience with Christ. Now, granted we cannot go back and walk with the living Christ along the shores of Galilee, but Jesus Christ needs to be a real presence for us. Our experience should be so real that we sense the power of his presence that changes and transforms us. Sometimes that is a part of the problem with the Church today. This essential stone in the foundation is often lacking. The Church is not always made up of people who have committed their lives to Christ and have had a genuine personal experience with Christ. Press the pause button on that thought for a moment.
I heard about a young girl who went to visit a relative of hers who lived in the country. One night while she was visiting her aunt she noticed that her aunt was putting cold cream on her face before she went to bed. The small girl turned and asked: “Auntie, what are you doing?” She said, “Why, I’m making myself beautiful.” In a few moments her aunt began to remove the cream. The small girl looked at her aunt and said: “It didn’t work, did it?”
Press the pause button again now. Note, there are some folks who are looking at the Church and saying to it: “It didn’t work, did it?” We claim that we are a people who have experienced the vitality of a living Christ, and they are saying to us: “It didn’t work, did it?” They often do not see evidence of Christ in the lives of those who claim that they belong to the Church. Our relationship to Christ is not by proxy, but it is personal. It is not a second-hand experience but a first-hand one. It is not a hearsay experience but an immediate one. It is not something merely passed on to us by tradition. The Church began with a great claim: “I know whom I have believed” (2Timothy 1:12). In the small Epistle of John, the writer says: “That which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have heard with our ears, that which we have handled with our hands, we declare unto you” (1 John 1:1). It is a very personal experience with a living Christ. Vitality in the Church does not come by proxy, or by someone living on another’s experience. A vital Church is built on individuals who have had their own dynamic relationship with the Lord of the Church.
Pastors and professors are often having tours. So, I thought of a tour group that I could organize. I might call it “Tuck’s Back to God Movement.” We might see if we could go back to places where people say they have experienced God. We could go back and try to find the place where Abraham was willing to go searching for a city that was without foundation. We would see if we could find the place where Jacob experienced the angels ascending and descending a ladder before God. We would see if we could find the remains of the bush that was burning where Moses had an experience with God. We would see if we could discover the ruins of the temple where Isaiah saw God high and lifted up. We would see if we could find the footprints in the sand where the disciples followed Jesus and left their nets and went to become fishers of men. Or we could see if we could find the place on the Damascus Road where Paul had his blinding experience with Christ. We would move on down through history and see if we could find the garden spot where Augustine heard the voice that said, “take up and read,” and he himself was converted. Or we would climb the stairs in Rome where Luther searched to find the Spirit of God. Or we could go to Aldersgate where Wesley’s heart was strangely warmed.
But there are several problems with that kind of a tour. For one thing, you probably cannot find those spots. But the biggest problem with it is that it is always focused in the past. We seem to think that we must go back someplace and find out what God did for somebody back there in the past. But the angel said to those who came to the tomb searching for Jesus, “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, but he is not here, he has gone before you.” Christ is always going before his Church and seeks to draw us into the future. He is not content with what we have been or where we have been. We are built on that foundation, and we are aware that Jesus Christ is indeed the central foundation. Where Christ is, there is his Church. Where Christ is absent, his Church is not there, no matter what kind of building we may have. Churches need to construct a building in which the living Christ is Lord. In fact, a part of what Paul is saying in this passage is that the loving God wants to be in a living temple. Paul changes the metaphor about the stones and pictures the stones as living. The Church is not just brick and mortar, but it is made up of living people.
Robert Raines was putting his young son to bed once when the boy looked up at him and said: “Daddy, tell me again what does Maundy Thursday mean?” In their Church tradition, they were celebrating a special service on the Thursday before Easter. Dr. Raines told him that Maundy Thursday was the night that Jesus had his last meal with his disciples. They ate together, and Jesus talked to them about what that meal symbolized. He left the upper room and later was crucified on Good Friday, and then he was raised from the dead by God. We celebrate Easter because of the great event of the resurrection of Christ. Then the young son looked at his father and asked: “Daddy, will Easter ever happen to me?
Isn’t the Church supposed to be composed of those who claim that we have experienced Easter? We worship a living Christ who is Lord of the Church. A strong sense of a vital, personal experience with Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Church, if it is to be authentic Church.
The Foundation of Worship
You will also notice that Paul writes about the Church being knit together as a holy temple. The Temple is a place where people focus on worship. I frankly do not know how people live who do not worship. I spend a lot of my time dealing with religious matters and reading religious books. But I know that there is an absolute necessity for worship in my life. Worship is not something I can choose to do or not do. It is not a decision I make like whether I will go swimming or go to the mountains or to a lake or beach. Worship, according to the biblical understanding of it, is something a Christian does. It is not debatable. A Christian worships, if he or she really does care about God. Worship is essential to the vitality of an individual and to the vitality of a church.
Let me tell you a parable. One day Mr. or Ms. Spider walked out on a limb. He or she dropped a silver thread down from that limb and began to spin a beautiful web across a rushing stream that lay beneath it. Now Mr. or Ms. Spider sat on this delightful web and enjoyed it for some time capturing whatever came along for lunch, supper, or other occasions. Time went by and there was a great sense of satisfaction and delight in Mr. or Ms. Spider. But, then, one day the spider looked up at the silver thread which attached it to the limb, and asked: “What is that for? I don’t need that.” With one sweep, it was severed and the whole web went crashing into the stream below. And the spider was swept away.
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