Mother Stone (Easter 5 and Mother's Day)

Acts 7: 55-60; Psalm 31: 1-5, 15-16; 1 Peter 2: 2-10

MOTHER STONE

Not to throw stones but we have had four weeks of Luke via Acts,
Four weeks of words attributed to Peter, weeks of John;
Mother Wisdom being lost as the men record their version of resurrection... and today,
I’m left stone-cold as we get pelted with stones. Please give me a
Rosetta stone to translate Peter, Luke, and John.
Mother Mary was at the tomb,  a gravel pile of women- denoted as composite stone – Marys,
they; sifted stone just capturing names of Magdalene, Salome, Joanna;
Mother Marys’ resurrection stories rolled behind a stone.
The stone rolled away today to be thrown Stephen’s way.
Chosen, he was charged with the equitable care of the widows, serving tables, feeding the poor; offering stone soup—the social services of the day;
 providing for all in need; those disenfranchised forgotten because you can not get blood from a stone--- Stephen kept his nose to the grindstone
Full of grace, -persuasive passion, he did signs and wonders among the people,
Splitting stones; speaking in ways detractors could not dispute.
Trying, they cast stones, bringing false witnesses, false accusations
But the very stones could talk and false was false; truth would rock the lot.
The Standing Stone was Stephen’s why;
he preached longer than any Jesus’ sermon presented by Luke,
longer than any speech by Paul; and he mined, digging into repeated infidelity,
a cyclical pattern of abuse: by leaders, Temple officials, priests, people who thought they were something; those stone deaf and hard hearted----
 Stephen shook their stone foundations with truth – like those before him -- Abraham,
Joseph, Moses, prophets, Jesus; he called people back to the Cornerstone;
Thunk! relationship with God, Thunk! with community, Thunk! with creation.
Pointing fingers, instigating reform, it was just a stone’s throw to his predicament;
Yes, stoning.  Stoned as a living stone.
Mother Mary, just like she was at the cross, was standing on, Mother Wisdom recoiling – watching;
Once again truth -Resurrection- neutralized! Pulverized!
Pulverized stone -heated, pressed, squeezed- in time, becomes new rock; Mother Stone.
Mother Stone is the voice of the Mothers Mary – a composite of alloys, creatures, minerals,
precious metals; stones of beauty, worth, and strength.
Foundation.  Mother Earth with lava and bedrock and stones, created ... cradles life.
A stone foundation of Mother Wisdom – Truth, embraced by Stephen- the resurrection
Truth mined, smelted, formed into Mother’s Day.
The voice of Mother Marys -resurrection as told by the ‘they’
was a story of reconciliation and peace...and it was about women throwing stones – stones that were to:  THUNK! shatter poverty, THUNK! advocate through reconciliation,
THUNK! break oppression.
Before the Civil War, Mother’s Day Work Club- the resurrection story of Ann Reeves Jarvis, taught women how to properly care for children; living stones.
After the Civil War, Mother’s Friendship Day – the resurrection story by mothers; as a unifying force to mold, heal, reconcile Union and Confederate Soldiers; living stones.
1870, Mother’s Day Proclamation – the resurrection story of Julia Ward Howe, abolitionist and suffragette – mothers unite for world peace – mothers against war;
Yes living stones.
And a little later – the resurrection story as lived by Juliet Calhoun Blakely of the Temperance movement; throwing stones,
 to make family relationships right, wholesome, and good.
In 1900, amidst a chauvinistic calendar of male achievements – the resurrection story as told by Anna Jarvis walking in mother’s footsteps, petitioning for a Mother’s day
to honour the sacrifice mothers make for children.
My how stones rained down!
– and paving stones of what could be; resurrection and new beginnings
 –  activism, because of its pumice stone affect – was crushed;
 Mother’s Day crushed! to become a day of flowers, candy, and cards;
commercialized so the raging of women,
their angst, would be cast into a controllable softer stone;
 a sandstone that continually softens by erosion, not a sharp edge to be found.
Misinterpreted and exploited the purpose of the day -mother’s day- was quieted, hushed;
Killed - two birds with one stone: focus on sentiment. make a profit.
As in a farmer’s field after frost – stone picking in the spring-
Political and feminist causes not wanting sentiment to be what was carved in stone,
cast -not the first- but cast the first stone back at glasses houses where people should know better than to cast stones, in the first place -
Tried again; heated lava erupting;
 – the resurrection story-
Told in ’69  when Coretta Scott King used Mother’s Day to march to support underprivileged woman and children;
-the resurrection story-
 Told in 1970 where women’s groups used Mother’s Day to fight for equal rights and access to childcare.
The resurrection story once again out of the tomb in the voices of the Mother Marys;
and just as quickly pushed back in and another stone rolled across the door.
Enough already! Blasted stones--- I want out of the stone age!
Generation after generation repeat the crushing pattern
People are cemented into the tyranny of regime
Ignoring the voice of Mother Stone – Mother Earth, Mother Wisdom - the philosopher’s stone that turns base metal to gold; turns death to life.
It is time -past time-
To get this moss off the rock; to rather be like a rolling stone.
To stand with Stephen and split rocks, to be pumice stone; to be Mother Stone and say no more!
This time of fake stone – engineered stone- is over, for it is not stone at all.
This message is a get stoned and wake up from the haze different moment.
The Ultimate message in the stoning of Stephen -in the resurrection story told by women through the centuries- is a message of new beginnings!
The Gospel changes everything – once one has tasted that the Lord is good;
once one has received mercy- one balances on solid stone, the Chief Cornerstone ---
this is the why; the source of passion;
the immovable truth that allows one to be stoned and not become stone-hearted;
pelted by stones – and yet Forgive
pelted by stones – and able to  Love recklessly.
Like rolling stones gaining momentum we are a landslide movement against infidelity and violence;
 easy actions - Infidelity and violence; the human way to reject the Cornerstone because the new way -community way- is kidney stone painful.
Birthing change is painful!
The Gospel changes everything – what appears innate; stones
Those silenced, the Mother Marys, the ‘theys,’ the disenfranchised again and again repeat -birth- their resurrection stories, throwing them as stones of action;
Mother Stones --- resurrection, transformation, the possibility of what can be....what must be--- living stones; and for generations yet to come are prepared to be.... yes prepared to be... worn down, eroded, exploded ... to die.
So that the world see the Cornerstone, balance there, and change everything.
Written on stone tablets, the Ultimate message- leave no stone unturned-
Strong, determined, mercy focused-
Serve, forgive, love recklessly ... birth the resurrection story.


Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.  You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your names sake lead me and guide me. ... into your hand I commit my spirit... you have redeemed me faithful God. Amen.