Evening, March 23
Go To Morning Reading
“I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would
immediately cry out.”
Luke 19:40
But could the stones cry out? Assuredly they could if he who opens
the mouth of the dumb should bid them lift up their voice. Certainly
if they were to speak, they would have much to testify in praise of
him who created them by the word of his power; they could extol the
wisdom and power of their Maker who called them into being. Shall not we speak well of him who made us anew, and out of stones raised up children
unto Abraham? The old rocks could tell of chaos and order, and the
handiwork of God in successive stages of creation’s drama; and cannot we talk of God’s decrees, of God’s great work in ancient times, in all that he did for his church in
the days of old? If the stones were to speak, they could tell of their
breaker , how he took them from the quarry, and made them fit for the temple,
and cannot we tell of our glorious Breaker, who broke our hearts with
the hammer of his word, that he might build us into his temple? If
the stones should cry out they would magnify their builder , who polished them and fashioned them after the similitude of a palace;
and shall not we talk of our Architect and Builder, who has put us
in our place in the temple of the living God? If the stones could
cry out, they might have a long, long story to tell by way of memorial,
for many a time hath a great stone been rolled as a memorial before
the Lord; and we too can testify of Ebenezers, stones of help, pillars
of remembrance. The broken stones of the law cry out against us, but
Christ himself, who has rolled away the stone from the door of the
sepulchre, speaks for us. Stones might well cry out, but we will not
let them: we will hush their noise with ours; we will break forth
into sacred song, and bless the majesty of the Most High, all our
days glorifying him who is called by Jacob the Shepherd and Stone
of Israel.