Diamonds in the Rough -- FPC sermon excerpt
Rough diamonds are becoming increasingly popular among wealthy trend-setters, people who crave whatever is new and different in the world of jewelry. There is a company called Diamond in the Rough that sells these gems, and De Beers has featured rough diamonds in their Talisman collection. You can now buy rough diamond rings, necklaces, and medallions. The gems have a certain natural, earthy, organic appeal, and they are sometimes a bargain — for instance, you can get a small, rough diamond in a ring for about $600.
On the other hand, you can drop a cool $750,000 at Tiffany for a one-of-a-kind necklace of uncut diamonds and pearls.
So these rough rocks are not always a steal.
The biggest problem with these diamonds is that you cannot easily ascertain their value. Faceted diamonds are priced based on cut, color, carat, and clarity, but there are no industry standards for evaluating uncut diamonds. Some people wonder if these gems will have much value at all once the fad for natural diamonds fades away.
Even a piece of gravel, worth almost nothing, can look a lot like a diamond in the rough. How can you tell when you’re looking at a truly precious gem?
The apostle Paul wonders the same thing as he examines the Christian community in Ephesus, a large seaport city in Asia Minor. These Christians have a Gentile background, and because of this they have a lot to learn about being in relationship with God. At one point, they were “without Christ,” recalls Paul, “being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel … having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).
“But now,” Paul points out, “in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us” (vv. 13-14).
What an amazing transformation. The Ephesians were diamonds in the rough, and through the sacrifice of Christ they have now come into relationship with God, right along with the Jewish members of God’s family. “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,” writes Paul, “but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God … with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone” (vv. 19-20).
Paul has the same vision for community that we do here at FPC. He wants to create a Meeting Ground, a place for people of diverse perspectives to come together for worship and service. He wanted to include Jews and Gentiles, residents of Jerusalem and citizens of Ephesus. The most important thing is that everyone come together to have an experience of Jesus Christ — an experience that can turn people from rough diamonds into polished gems.
On the other hand, you can drop a cool $750,000 at Tiffany for a one-of-a-kind necklace of uncut diamonds and pearls.
So these rough rocks are not always a steal.
The biggest problem with these diamonds is that you cannot easily ascertain their value. Faceted diamonds are priced based on cut, color, carat, and clarity, but there are no industry standards for evaluating uncut diamonds. Some people wonder if these gems will have much value at all once the fad for natural diamonds fades away.
Even a piece of gravel, worth almost nothing, can look a lot like a diamond in the rough. How can you tell when you’re looking at a truly precious gem?
The apostle Paul wonders the same thing as he examines the Christian community in Ephesus, a large seaport city in Asia Minor. These Christians have a Gentile background, and because of this they have a lot to learn about being in relationship with God. At one point, they were “without Christ,” recalls Paul, “being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel … having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).
“But now,” Paul points out, “in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us” (vv. 13-14).
What an amazing transformation. The Ephesians were diamonds in the rough, and through the sacrifice of Christ they have now come into relationship with God, right along with the Jewish members of God’s family. “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,” writes Paul, “but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God … with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone” (vv. 19-20).
Paul has the same vision for community that we do here at FPC. He wants to create a Meeting Ground, a place for people of diverse perspectives to come together for worship and service. He wanted to include Jews and Gentiles, residents of Jerusalem and citizens of Ephesus. The most important thing is that everyone come together to have an experience of Jesus Christ — an experience that can turn people from rough diamonds into polished gems.
posted by Henry Brinton | 1:06 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home