Who are You?

REFLECTION QUOTES

“We know what we are, but not what we may be.”

~William Shakespeare

“When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.”

~Ralph Ellison (1914-1994), American Novelist, author of Invisible Man

“In our production oriented society, being busy, having an occupation, has become one of the main ways, if not the main way, of identifying ourselves. Without an occupation, not just our economic security but our very identity is endangered.”

~Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), Dutch priest, author, and psychologist

“Think about what people are doing on Facebook today. They are keeping up with their friends and family, but they are also building an image and identity for themselves, which in a sense is their brand.”

~Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook

“Canada is the only country in the world that knows how to live without an identity.”

~Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980), Canadian philosopher

“Religious people often prefer to be right rather than compassionate. Often, they don’t want to give up their egotism. They want their religion to endorse their ego, their identity.”

~Karen Armstrong, British author, former religious sister, Christian mystic

“For you died, and now your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

~Saul of Tarsus, 1st Century Christian missionary

SERMON PASSAGE

1 Peter 2:4-10 (NIV)

4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual houseto be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and,
“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.