WE ARE CALLED TO BE A MOVEMENT - Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

Sep 28, 2026

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Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II delivers a sermon on prophetic justice grounded in Scripture, framing Psalms as freedom songs that prepare listeners to hear truth in contemporary movements. Using Psalm 118 and Jesus’s first sermon in Luke 4, the message centers on rejected people as the foundation of renewal. The cornerstone becomes a metaphor for those dismissed by society, emphasizing that their rise reflects God’s doing and calls for love and justice-led revival.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages100

Reading Time4 h 12 min

AccessFree to download

WE ARE CALLED TO BE A MOVEMENT

Psalm 118: The Cornerstone of Rejected Stones

Luke 4: Jesus’s Inaugural Message of Good News

# WEARECALLED TO BE A MOVEMENTREVEREND DR.WILLIAM J.BARBERⅡ # WE ARE CALLEDTO BE AMOVEMENT REVEREND DR.WILLIAMJ.BARBERⅡ Copyright ◎202o by Reverend Dr.William J.Barber II All rights reserved.No portion of this book may be reproduced-mechanically,electronically,or by any other means,including photocopying—without written permission of the publisher.Publishedsimultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen &Son Limited. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available. ISBN 978-1-5235-1124-2 Design by Sarah SmithCover photo credit:Tanor/Shutterstock All quoted scripture is from The Message or the New InternationalVersion of the Holy Bible or is Rev.Dr.Barber's own interpretation. Workman books are available at special discounts when purchased inbulk for premiums and sales promotions as well as for fund-raising oreducational use.Special editions or book excerpts can also be createdto specification.For details,contact theSpecial Sales Director at theaddress below,or send an email to specialmarkets@workman.com. Workman Publishing Co.,Inc225 Varick Street New York,NY 10014-4381workman.com WORKMAN is a registered trademark of Workman Publishing Co.,Inc. Printed in the United States of AmericaFirst printing April 2020 10987654321 A version of this sermon was firstdelivered on Sunday morning,June 3,2018,at the National Cathedral inWashington,DC. am a preacher and the son of apreacher.I know many people inAmerica today have good reasons notto trust a preacher.But I still believe inthe prophetic power of the Bible,a bookmy father said you can’t read honestlywithout also making a commitment towork for justice.So I'd like to begin withtwo pieces of ancient wisdom from the sacred texts of my tradition.The first isfrom Psalm 118: The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone!This is God's work. And it is marvelous in our eyes! This is the day that the LORD has made—let us rejoice and be glad in it! The second text comes from Jesus's veryfirst sermon as recounted in the Gospelof Luke,chapter 4: Jesus came to Nazareth where he hadbeen raised.As he always did on the Sabbath,he went to the meeting place.When he stood up to read,he was handedthe scroll of the prophet Isaiah.Unrollingthe scroll,he found the place where it waswritten, God's Spirit is on me; he's chosen me to preach the Message ofgood news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisonersand recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free,toannounce,“This is God's time to shine!” He rolled up the scroll,handed it back tothe assistant,and sat down.Every eye in the place was on him,intent.Then hestarted in,“You've just heard Scripturemake history.It came true just now inthis place.” I want to hold these two texts together—to read Jesus's inaugural sermon in lightof the Psalmist's insight about those who have been rejected.Psalms were thefreedom songs of the movement Jesuswas born into,and just as the songs ofthe freedom movement prepare ourspirits to hear a prophetic word of truthin today's movements for justice,thePsalmist's song tunes our ear to hear the transformative truth of Jesus's message.And the message is this: The rejected must lead the revival forlove and justice. The cornerstone is that part of thefoundation upon which the whole building stands.And the Psalmist says,speaking metaphorically of how weview human beings in society,that it isGod's intent that the stones that wereonce seen as unfit to be a part of thearchitecture—the stones that were oncethrown away or kept in the quarry一 have now been called to be the mostimportant stones.The rejected stonesmake the best cornerstones.The rejectedstones actually make the best foundationholders.And whenever you see rejectedstones becoming the focus of society,it isthe Lord's doing. This psalm is a song Jesus wouldhave known well as a brown-skinnedPalestinian Jew who grew up practicingPassover,becaus

FAQs

Which Bible passages does Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II use in the sermon?

He uses Psalm 118 and Jesus’s first sermon as recounted in Luke 4. The sermon ties both texts together to interpret rejected people as central to justice and renewal.

What is the sermon’s core message?

The sermon states that the rejected must lead the revival for love and justice. It presents the cornerstone metaphor as God’s work turning rejection into foundation.

How does the sermon connect Jesus’s message to social movements for justice?

It explains that Psalms function as freedom songs that tune the spirit to prophetic truth. That prophetic word is applied to today’s movements that seek transformation through justice.

Sep 28, 2026

Upload by Asher