3rd Sunday after the Pentecost

June 1, 2008


Storm Proof Dwellings


In recent days our media has had stories and sadly vivid pictures of foundation and structure failure due to storm, earthquake, and fire.

The most heartbreaking of these is the story and the pictures of the schools in China that were so poorly constructed that they collapsed in the earthquake killing thousands of innocent children.

One very vivid picture shows a collapsed school where hundred of children died, surrounded by well built structures that had no damage at all.

The problem with the schools: inadequate and poorly made foundations.

They no doubt looked good on the surface, but they were cheaply constructed and beneath the surface there was nothing to hold the buildings together.

Perhaps an honest and accurate structure inspection would have saved those innocent lives.

What if we had an inspection of our own foundations - would they be safe from storm, from earthquake - would our structures stand up?

Obviously we in this part of the country are concerned about earthquakes and how our homes would stand up.

Where I grew up in Texas, tornadoes were a threat in the springtime, and in Charleston hurricane season brought a lot of anxiety as everyone was glued to the weather channel.

So, it would seem that foundation and structure are a concern.

Jesus, sharing the same concern for foundations and structures has some rather surprising words for us in today’s gospel.

“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

Then he illustrates the issue by telling about two men who built their houses - one who built on the foundation of a rock, the other who built his home on the foundation of sand.

Along comes the wind, along comes the rain which beats on the houses.

We aren’t surprised to hear that the house built on a rock was fine, but the one built on the sand blew down and Jesus says “and great was its fall.”

Then Jesus tells us: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like the foolish man who built his house on the sand.”

My brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus is talking about the foundation and the structure, not of our temporary dwelling places on earth, but the place of our spiritual and eternal homes where we live as the people of God.

Henri Nouwen calls this the house of love and tells us that “The house of love is the hour of Christ, the place where we can think, speak, and act in the way of God - not in the way of a fear-filled world.

The house of love is not simply a place in the afterlife, a place in heaven beyond this world.

Jesus offers us this house right in the midst of our anxious world.” (Nouwen, Henri: Lifesigns, pages 21-22)

St. Paul tells us: “You are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.”

This is the structure about which Jesus speaks to us today.

It is a structure not built with stone, but an eternal dwelling place built on the foundation of water, faith, love, and obedience to the will of God.

In the waters of baptism, our lives are placed in the household of God; we are literally washed into our eternal home.

In just a few minutes Leah and Betty will become part of the dwelling place for God, will literally become saints in the eyes of God, and will dwell in his love forever.

In a few moments they will become the latest creative action of God.

So, water, the waters of baptism, are the first layer of our foundations in the household of God.

Then, having been washed into the kingdom of God, faith is the next layer of our eternal home.

Faith is a main part of our foundation, and St. Paul tells us: “The one who is righteous shall live by faith.”

How is our faith these days?

Is our faith built on the rock of Christ, believing that no matter what happens, Christ will be with us, Christ will care for us.

Or, is our faith built on the sandy soil of ourselves, being the lord and managers of our own lives, only ultimately trusting in what we can see, what we can hear, what we can touch, and what we can possess.

How ‘bout love?

This vital part of the foundation of our lives was very clearly stated by Christ: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

No one has greater love than to lay down one’s life for ones friends.”

How is our foundation of love?

If it is conditional, if it is limited, if it is self centered, then we are dwelling precariously on sand.

And what about obedience?

Jesus had some pretty definite things to tell us.

For example he said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Dear hearts, Jesus is telling us that to have secure dwelling in the heart of God we need to do more than simply lip service - our lives need to be lived totally in faith, with absolute and unconditional love, and with obedient service to the God who loves us so much that he sent his son to die on our behalf.

Water - faith - love -obedience.

Those are the foundations of our eternal home with God, and nothing, absolutely nothing can come against that home, not storm, not earthquake, not even death.

As St. Paul tells us: “For I am convinced that neither death, not life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, not things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So, dear hearts, let’s have a look at our foundations and be sure they are built not on the sands of the world, nor the sands of our own making, but on the solid rock of Christ.

If you but trust in God to guide you, and place your confidence in him,

You’ll find him always there beside you, to give you hope and strength within.

For those who trust God’s changeless love, build on the rock that will not move.

Sing, pray, and keep his ways unswerving, offer your service faithfully,

And trust his word; though undeserving, you’ll find his promise true to be.

God never will forsake in need the soul that trusts in him indeed.

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