Wise man??

During the Bible study discussion this week we talked a lot about the need for growth in our Churches. We talked about ways in which this could happen, and we talked about reasons which may prevent growth or even sometimes encourage decline, and through the discussions there was one comment which perhaps captured some of the meaning of today’s gospel (Matthew 7:21-29).

That comment was that we had spent a lot of time talking about the Church but actually one of the biggest problems was that we try to build lives and share a message about the Church, when we should be doing those things based firmly on God.

Most people know the story of the wise man who built his house upon the rock, whilst the foolish man built his house upon the sand. When the storms came, the wise man’s house stood strong, and the foolish man’s house fell flat.

The car maker Henry Ford asked the electrical genius Charlie Steinmetz to build the generators for his factory. One day the generators ground to a halt, and the repairmen couldn't find the problem. So Ford called Steinmetz, who tinkered with the machines for a few hours and then switched them back on working properly.

A couple of days later Ford got a bill for $10,000 from Steinmetz. Flabbergasted, the rather tightfisted car maker enquired why the bill was so high. Steinmetz replied, ‘For tinkering with the generators, $10. For knowing where to tinker, $9,990.’ Ford paid the bill.

Knowing where to look for things in our lives is very important. Knowing the right people to do jobs for us, knowing the right places to visit, good restaurants, good holiday destinations, places to be avoided. Knowing how to care for our homes, our cars, our bodies… These are all very important, but an even more fundamental point to consider is knowing upon what foundation to build our lives.

It’s very easy to lay down foundations for our lives based on things that aren’t really very strong, and then often continue to build on top of them ! Perhaps as a child we failed to listen to some of the lessons which we should have listened to, perhaps the game of snooker sounded more appealing than an afternoon in school (perhaps that was just me !)

Perhaps we ignored the advice of people who actually did know best at times, and the foundations for our lives were not as strong as they could have been. But of course that’s not irreversible. As an adult we have plenty more opportunities to build firm foundations in our lives, but then what do we build them on ?

It may be a career, it may be starting a family, a nice house, a good car, lots of money. nothing wrong with these things, as long as they’re not our only focus… It may be the hope of a lottery win or a bet on the horses. Of course there are lots of even worse things upon which we can try and build lives – perhaps its drink or drugs, or we may even decide that foundations are not necessary at all at that point in our lives – live for today, and face whatever happens tomorrow when it happens !

But if these are the foundations of our lives, however successful and happy we may be, then these foundations are the sand referred to in the gospel reading. They are short term, and even worse, when trials come in our lives, as they inevitably will, they will be worth very little. Time and time again it is very obvious that money, a nice car and a nice house, mean nothing when real troubles come.

The rock, the only sure foundation upon which we can build our lives is Jesus, and we do this in a number of ways. Firstly we commit our lives to him, trusting him, seeking his guidance and his support, trying to live displaying the principles he displayed in his earthly life – the principles of love and compassion, of tolerance and understanding, and one that’s very often forgotten, fighting for the underdog – those who are unable to fight for themselves.

For many of us our faith has been an almost integral part of our lives, which is wonderful, except for the fact that sometimes we don’t give it the proper thought and consideration that we should. Again in the Bible study in the week, we talked about personal testimonies – every Christian has a story whether we think it or not. Every Christian has a reason for being in Church this morning, and it’s worth all of us spending time just thinking about what God has done for us, and the depth of his love for us that demands our response… Recommitting our lives to Christ is something that should happen over and over again as new experiences and new challenges face us in our lives.

Secondly we dedicate ourselves to prayer. Within the Anglican Church historically we have not been very good at praying without a prayer book but whilst the prayer books are useful for collective worship, and sometimes even for private prayer, what God also wants to hear from us is our own thoughts, our own needs, the needs of the Church, our concerns for others and for the wider world.

Prayer is a great gift – it is our way of linking up with God, the God who is not some distant out of touch ‘supreme being’ but a loving, caring and compassionate God who is concerned for his people and wants to hear from us…

Thirdly we consider the Bible. Historically the Anglican Church has used three core principles for our beliefs – scripture, tradition and reason. Reason is our own logical working out of our faith. It includes the experiences we each have of times when we have felt closest to God, and perhaps furthest from him. Many people say they don’t talk about their faith because they don’t feel qualified to do so, but the reality is that most people to whom we are talking don’t want a long reasoned argument in favour of the Christian faith, they just want to know what a difference it makes to us as individuals.

Of course, the reason also includes the arguments of theologians and others through the centuries. And that is where tradition fits, as we learn from things that have helped people in the past. In the Church today we use all kinds of symbols which help to point us to God – for example, we have things like the colours of the Church seasons - so many people don’t realise there’s a meaning to each of the colours we use, but there is – our tradition doesn’t dominate our faith, and it should never shape our faith, but it helps to bring us closer to God.

And then there is scripture. Many years ago, a travelling preacher entered one church building with his young son, and dropped a coin into the offering box in the back. Not many came that Sunday, and those who did didn't seem too excited about what was said. After the service, the preacher and his son walked to the back, and he emptied the box. Out fell just the one coin the preacher had put in, and his son said, "Dad, if you'd have put more in, you'd have got more out!"

That is true of every aspect of our faith – the more we put in, the more we commit, the more blessings God will give us… To build on rock is not easy. It takes work, it takes preparation, it takes time, but it lasts… To trust Jesus takes commitment, it takes dedication, it takes time, it takes money, it takes effort, but there is no greater love than his love for us, and there is no greater blessing than knowing that in every moment of our lives, he is there with us…. AMEN