Matthew 7:21-29
21″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. 22On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ 23Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’ 24″Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 26And 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. 27The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell-and great was its fall!” 28Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, 29for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.After reading the scriptures for today I started having an argument with my self about the most important words for us as believers. After God, and love I found faith to be a very important word but right after faith before a lot of other powerful and essential words I would put relationship. I started thinking about the difference between the person who builds their house on sand verses Rock as the foundation. I thought about the story I heard from the terrible storms in China where the schools made on concrete where crushed but the mud huts next to them stayed standing.
You see the rock and the sand have very little to do with ground and a whole lot to do with faith, trust and relationship. The ground is not the earth but our hearts that God is trying to build on.
I read a story of a little town in southern Texas that had been experiencing an even longer than usual drought and heat wave. The farmers and town’s people were getting desperate so the local clergy organized an ecumenical prayer service in the town square to pray for rain. People were encouraged to bring an object of faith for inspiration.
So they all gathered on that Saturday at noon with their Bibles, prayer book, prayer beads, medals and rosaries. They came from the Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic, Baptist, Church of God and Church of Christ, UCC , Unitarian and of course The Episcopal church.
After an hour of prayer almost like God flipped a switch the rain began to softly fall. The people raised their articles of faith high into the air in gratitude but from the middle of the crowd one faith item seemed to overshadow all others. A small nine year old child had brought an umbrella. (From Chicken soup for the Christian Soul)
God called out Noah and said Go and he went. Jesus is calling out his followers. He is not calling out the crowd he is challenging those who are following him. His disciples. He is saying you have the truth. You have seen what is possible with God how has your life changed. When the word covenant is used in the Old Testament today that is the first time that word is used. God calls us into a new relationship through Noah and God calls us into a new relationship through Jesus and God calls us into a new relationship through each other.
We know our faith will be tested. We know that we will be stretched and our journey will not be easy but we also know that God will hold us and that in each other, in the story, and the Breaking of the bread He will be in the midst of us.
So I ask you when God calls us out what will the answer be where are we building our house? On sand or on solid ground? Is God calling us into new relationship and if He is, are we ready to be sent?
In the name of God
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