| A Rock-Like Foundation |
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| Written by Bill Weisenbach | |
| Saturday, 31 May 2008 | |
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A Rock-like Foundation Text: Matthew 7:21-29 I was taught that we are poor wayfaring strangers traveling through the land below of pain and suffering. Now we hear that in Jesus we are “too blessed to be stressed.” I think they are both wrong! Listen again to what Jesus said. He concludes his sermon on the mount with these words. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.… And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. Each of us is in the process of creating and building for ourselves a life. It’s what we call character, and that takes time. It is, for most of us, a life-long process. The question is: What is a rock-like foundation for a human life? Jesus makes the shocking claim that his words are more foundational than those of Moses. You will build a stronger, more secure, more enduring life by living your life in obedience to Jesus teachings. You will build a disappointing, fragile and an easily blown away life if you do not. They were astonished at Jesus’ claim that his words had more substance and made a better foundation than the Law of Moses. That was a shocking claim. They were doubly astonished at what he said because he taught that the very sources of blessedness were the very things that they, and most of us, try to avoid in life. Jesus’ words, which he claims to be the best foundation for building our lives, come from conditions that are not popular. Blessed are the poor, blessed are those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for justice, those who make peace, those who are persecuted. A life that will be able to endure and survive the storms of life, a life that will be experienced as blessed, is built by living in the direction of the very things which most of our culture tries to avoid like the plague. That is pretty astonishing. Jesus says that a life that is built on the rock, a life that in the end will be able to stand, to endure to be able to share in the goodness of the kingdom of God, is to be built in the direction that runs contrary to almost everything that we claim are the marks of the “good life” in our society. We are all building a life, making our witness, leaving our legacy, and Jesus claims that if we want a life that has some substance, has some weight and endurance in it, then we need to invest ourselves in the direction of his words, words that declare that it is the things of the heart are foundational. It is not what we have. It is not even so much what we accomplish. It is not our sense of having done the right things or believed the right things. It is the direction of the journey in response to his words that Jesus says builds us a life of worth, substance and blessedness. And just in case you think you’re not included Jesus goes to a lot of trouble to make sure that none of us can point to the laws we have kept. He makes adultery a lustful look. He makes murder the flaming up of feelings for revenge that we have all had. He makes calling another a fool as bad as murder. He says we all confess to being liars because there are times when we swear to tell the truth admitting therefore, that there are lots of times we do not tell the truth. Jesus makes clear that the quality of our lives is built on the ultimate recognition that all of us are the blessed recipients of more grace than we deserve and more love than we have merited. We build our lives in the shared compassion of one sinner sharing bread with another sinner and trying to make this lonesome journey we call life a little less lonesome for us all. And the narrow gate and the storms and the false prophets are all a part of the journey. The kind of life that will pass through the gate and see through the false prophets and know the blessedness of being a part of the kingdom of God are those who listen to Jesus words and struggle to build their lives upon those words. Words that are much more concerned about how we each treat each other in our shared humanity than in individual suffering, success or happiness. The crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority and not as their scribes. We are still astonished for his words keep having an authority. One last point. The story is told of the great composer Giacomo Puccini who grew ill while writing his last opera "Turandot." He told his students, "If I do not finish this opera, finish it for me." He soon died with the opera unfinished. For three years his students worked together to complete what became his greatest opera. Finally there came the day of performance and his finest student, Arturo Toscanini, directed the orchestra. They came to the place where Puccini had died and the orchestra stopped. Toscanini laid down his baton, turned to the audience with tears in his eyes, and exclaimed: "This far the Master wrote…and then he died." There was a stunning silence throughout the concert hall as the reality of Puccini's tragic death struck at the heart of every listener. Then Toscanini whispered, "But the disciples finished his work" and picking up the baton led the orchestra through the remainder to the grand conclusion wherein the audience thunderously gave their approval. Our Master has spoken, but it is up to us his disciples to live the words and finish the work in joyous obedience. That’s what Stephen Ministry does, built on the words of Jesus, it seeks to pick up the pieces of broken lives by becoming the visible presence of the love of God in another’s life, to perpetuate the grace-filled ministry of Jesus to bind up the broken hearted in shared compassion. Today we add five new persons to our roster of Stephen Ministers. They have made an extraordinary commitment to be the visible presence of the love of God on behalf of this congregation and I am going to ask Kathy Mullane, of our Stephen Leaders to introduce them. |
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