(5–8 minutes, easy set-up)
Learners will discuss Christ’s place as the cornerstone of the Church.
(5–8 minutes, easy set-up)
Print one copy of the Cornerstone activity sheet and cut the strips apart. Also provide a sheet of butcher paper and markers. Write the text of Psalm 118:22–24 on the paper prior to class.
Place the sheet of butcher paper in a prominent location, then instruct learners to read what’s written on it. Ask: Who do the stone and the builders represent? (Answers: The stone represents Jesus, and the builders represent the Jews who rejected Him as Messiah.)
Explain that learners will look at other passages of Scripture that refer to this first description of the capstone or cornerstone. Then distribute strips from the Cornerstone activity sheet to learners. Instruct learners to look up and read the verses aloud. Explain that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all describe Jesus by repeating these verses from Psalm 118:22–24. Ask: How did Jesus further explain these verses? (In the context of the Parable of the Tenants, Jesus explained that the Jews were rejecting Him as the Son of God.) How did Peter use these verses to explain Jesus as a stumbling block and a cornerstone? (Those who cannot accept Jesus as God’s Son “stumble” and fall; those who do accept Jesus find that He is the cornerstone of faith.) How does Jesus continue to be both a stumbling block and a cornerstone today?