In the midst of everything that is going on around us, the song “Cornerstone” (lyrics below) has been playing over and over again in my head. In the midst of all of the upheaval, the song is a testimony to the assurance and hope we can have in the One who is our true Cornerstone.

For millennia, architects and builders knew the importance of the cornerstone. It was the first and most important stone to be set in place. It was the rock upon which the weight of the entire structure rested. It oriented the building and marked the starting point of its specific direction. It served as a declaration of ownership, an inscription of purpose and a reminder of its beginnings. In short, without the cornerstone the structure would lack integrity, definition, and clarity of purpose.

The architects and founders of our nation also understood the importance of the cornerstone. In the wake of last week’s events, we were reminded that the assault on the U. S. Capitol was in many ways part of a larger assault on the cornerstone of our democracy – the U. S. Constitution. It embodies the fundamental laws and principles by which the United States exists and is governed. It declares our common purpose and pledge. In short, our founding fathers knew that without it our nation would devolve into anarchy and chaos in the absence of those foundational laws to protect liberty and justice.

But we would do well to remember that there is a cornerstone that surpasses all others….