LIVING STONES: Chosen & Precious to God
“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
—1 Peter 2:4-5
During this 2025–2026 academic year, our spiritual theme and focus is: Living Stones. As we continue to grow together in truth and grace, we see evidence of the Lord building us up to be increasingly like Him. As we allow the Holy Spirit to expand and enrich our minds through the study of Scripture, Music, Art, Logic, Rhetoric, Science, Mathematics, Physical Education, and many other scholastic disciplines, we can offer our sincere efforts to learn as our “spiritual sacrifices” to God.
Moreover, as we earnestly petition Jesus to more deeply develop our character through the community standards articulated in our RISEUP and STAND statements, Upper School HOUSE program activities, weekly Chapel experiences, athletic team opportunities, and involvement in other SCS programs, we are “…being built up as a spiritual house.”
In addition, as we find opportunities to reach out and respond in service to one another, with integrity in every attitude or action (e.g., holding the door, saying thank you, praying for/with someone, picking up a dropped book), we can participate in God’s work of making us a “…holy priesthood.” When we endeavor to multiply and magnify our care for one another before ourselves, we also experience the vibrancy of a community that is both tremendously stable and truly alive.
Furthermore, as “living stones,” we must strive to be “… dead to sin/the world, but alive in Christ” (Romans 6:11) and prioritize our time, efforts, and energies according to the bedrock understanding that we are made imago Dei (in the image of God) and therefore have eternal value and purpose.
Lastly, as we increasingly experience the rejection of this world, may we remember our true identity and standing as “…chosen and precious” people who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord. We are saved and therefore destined to live for eternity in heaven with Him!
We pray that as the Lord works within our midst on a daily basis, we will continue to be founded upon the rock of God’s Word. With fortitude and strength, may we weather any cultural storms with a ‘stony’ resolve to think, speak, and act as devout followers of Jesus Christ. Thank you for supporting us in prayer. May we never grow weary in our pursuit to be a “…spiritual house” standing on God’s Word as “…rocks that cry out” (Luke 19:40) the exceedingly life-