on the rock

Good morning friends,
The theme this week is making Jesus our foundation for life. In our passage today Jesus has finished teaching a crowd of people and challenges them not to be entertained but transformed. The important thing about following Jesus isn't just listening to what he has to say; it's doing what he says. The analogy Jesus uses is simple but effective; how can you take a step to put Jesus' words into action today?

God bless,
Sam

Matthew 7:24-29

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.

building on the foundation of Christ

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Yesterday Paul began talking about human leaders in the community and how some people were letting loyalty to one leader versus another cause division in the church. He used the image of field workers and builders for the leaders' work in building up the church. Here he develops that image further. The building's foundation is Jesus Christ and the builder/leader builds on it to the best of his or her ability. Judgment Day (as well as the smaller crises) will test the building to see if it is well built. If it is the building will survive and the builder will be rewarded. Paul doesn't want the community to forget that they are not just any building, but God's holy temple.

He continues by reminding people not to boast about their wisdom or their leaders, because God doesn't care about our worldly knowledge as much as about our faithfulness. We're not called to rely on our wisdom or on our leaders. Instead we are called to rely on our foundation, Jesus Christ. By leaning on Jesus, we can do anything.

God bless,
Sam


1 Corinthians 3:11-23

11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. 12Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. 14If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.


16Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.


18Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, 23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Solid rock

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading gives us a useful word about human behavior. Jesus tells his listeners that we act like who we are: you can't expect good behavior from bad people. At the same time, the "abundance of our heart" isn't always the same. Some days we can almost feel frustration build up inside us, and we find ourselves speaking and acting out of that abundance. Other days, especially days we pay attention to our blessings and the love that surrounds us, we feel full of goodwill and speak and act out of that abundance instead. What that means for Christian ethics is that we seek to be transformed each day more into Christ's image, replacing the evil treasure of selfishness inside us with the good treasure of God's love.

The second paragraph reminds us that calling Jesus our Lord is not enough, the point is following his word. If we don't follow Jesus any of our claims about what we believe ring hollow. Our lives need a solid foundation; otherwise the best building, the best education in the world will be wasted effort. As Christians our foundation is Christ our solid rock.

blessings,
Sam


Luke 6:43-49

43“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; 44for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.


46“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you? 47I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. 48That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.”