What an amazingly wet day we had on Monday, Feb. 20. And whether you recognized it as a harbinger of climate change or just weird winter weather – it was wet, very wet.
I was at North House Folk School with a group from church building timbered outdoor benches as a memorial from the family of Joyce Kehoe. Throughout the day as we pushed the large timbers through the planer and cut the smooth lumber, and then chiseled the saddle notches, I looked out on the harbor from time to time at the very surprising scene. It was an unusually unseasonal downpour lasting all day. It got me humming an old Sunday School song from years ago about the rains tumbling down and the floods coming up, and the house on the rock stood firm. That song was based on the parable to the two builders, which Jesus used to conclude the magnificent Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.
We all remember how the parable plays out. There are two builders and two houses, and bad weather hits both. The difference between them is the wisdom of the one builder who built upon the rock.
Throughout this season many churches have been hearing the Sermon on the Mount as part of worship. Through these remarkable words we have been repeatedly challenged to grow and become the people who make a difference in this world. Not only are we called to be peacemakers and merciful; not only are we to dismantle the violence, abuse, and hatred through strong compassion and tenacious forgiveness; we are warned that this won’t be easy.
We know that this is true. It would be much easier to think pleasant thoughts and meditate on good things, maybe even retreat to a happy place and keep faith and spirituality a private thing. But Jesus concludes his sermon by saying, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24.
In the quote above, the italics are mine of course. Faith as we all know is a lifestyle. What he spoke about in the Sermon on the Mount, we are to practice. And by acting on his words we become the light and love of God to transform the greed, intolerance and destructiveness present in the world. These aren’t words to think well of and admire from a distance, they are hoped for actions to be accomplished. It has been said, “Most people are willing to take the Sermon on the Mount as a flag to sail under, but few will use it as a rudder by which to steer.” (Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.)
I mentioned above that in these words of God we are warned and we understand that obeying Jesus won’t be easy. Moreover as I watched the downpour on Monday I was reminded that in the parable the rains and floods test both builders and both houses. The true strength of any house or wisdom of any builder is not apparent until the storm hits.
We know that there are countless storms of endless variety that hit people. We see these storms within a person’s spirit; we see them between people; we see them dividing communities, and nations. We see the results in homes, environment, economics and politics. And we know that the promises of God do not preclude a storm hitting you too.
These words aren’t meant to be discouraging or pessimistic however. That is just life. And that is the way we experience the storms of life. God’s words are in fact absolutely encouraging, for there is a rock on which to build; it is the One who shaped this world with creative love and keeps it spinning with grace and beauty. When the rains fall, and they do, our foundation holds, and we continue to strive for peace, equity, and reconciliation to be fulfilled while experiencing the grace and love of God that holds us firm.
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This month our contributor is Reverend Mark Ditmanson of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais.
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