Darlyne Johnson
Third Sunday after Pentecost
June 1, 2008

21 ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only 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!’

28 Now 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. Matthew 7:21-29

The Lord be with you.

“The right connection makes all the difference.”  I saw that cell phone advertisement on a billboard in Minnesota on Wednesday as Mom and I were coming home after visiting my daughter Ann in Alexandria, Virginia.  We had benefited from right connections while we were there by being able to watch and listen to my son-in-law play in a funeral procession at Arlington National Cemetery and to also attend the dress rehearsal for a Memorial Day Concert on the west side of the Capitol.  The right connections provided us opportunities to see and experience events in a personal and memorable way. 

Today’s Gospel text begins with words about another kind of connection—the right connection with Jesus:  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus said. Even those who prophesy and preach, who cast out demons and heal, who attend worship and work on behalf of Jesus might hear Him say, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.”  Could that possibly include us?  I would rather remember Jesus’ words, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”(Matthew 11:28)  To be denied by Jesus doesn’t make sense.  But, today’s Gospel reading implies that one cannot call Him “Lord” without paying any attention to His teaching.  One cannot use Him to make oneself important.  Such hard words cause us to look deeper.

Jesus used the illustration of wise and foolish men who built their houses on different foundations.  As a carpenter’s son, He would know about building houses.  Only those built on stable rock would be able to withstand the rain and the floods and the winds.  In Palestine’s dry season, ground might seem secure, but coming rains could destroy houses built there.  Judgment sounds in these words of warning:  “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”  What a way to end a sermon!  Jesus began His Sermon on the Mount three chapters ago, beginning with words of blessing but now closing with these words of judgment—judgment that seems to begin with the household of God. 

What, then, is the right connection with Jesus?  It’s not like the world’s connections of appearances or power.  Instead, it’s about a personal relationship with Jesus.  He was talking about more than physical houses like homes or churches or nations; He was talking about having that firm spiritual foundation that is grounded in the Good News of God’s grace and mercy.  Upon what foundation do our lives rest?  To what Rock do we cling?  Upon what ground do we stand?  Whose Word do we believe and trust with our whole being?  How do our lives reflect Jesus’ teaching?  For what or for Whom do we live? 

Jesus said that only the one who does the will of the Father in heaven will enter the kingdom.  Only the wise will hear Jesus’ words and take obedience seriously.  Their hearts are the good soil where God’s Word takes root and transforms their lives.  They find Jesus’ words encouraging, because they know that He will hold them through all the storms that come and also help them look to the future.  Everyone is tested by temptation or sorrow or the burden of responsibility.  But, hidden beneath the surface of life in Christ is the eternal rock of God’s love and forgiveness shown in His Son Jesus.  Our hope is built on the deep capacity of God to secure us. 

I was amazed last Sunday to hear the Archbishop of Sudan preach about building life on a secure foundation.  Mom and I had walked the five blocks from our hotel to the historic Christ Church in Alexandria, where George Washington had worshiped.  The Reverend Daniel Deng Bul said that Jesus is the foundation of our lives.  We trust the engineers who design our buildings and make the foundations for them to stand; we trust the pilots who fly our airplanes and depend on being safely held in the skies.  He asked how much we trust Jesus and spoke of our relationship with Him.  He also asked what we do with what God has given us—how we manage life and talents and energy, using all of it for God’s purpose and proclaiming a message of peace and love because of our foundation in Christ.  He said to be careful:  there are many foundations; only one will stand.

At the front of the 235-year-old church were two original framed sections containing words of the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, the Golden Rule, and the Ten Commandments.  They had been posted for generations to see and to remember.  In displaying those words on the front wall of their sanctuary, Christ Church took Moses’ directions seriously about placing God’s words in the hearts and souls of the Israelites who were to write them on their doorposts and gates.  We couldn’t help but look up. 

My eyes had been lifted at other times during the trip.  The deep blue color of the sky far above the white clouds and the distant curve of the earth’s horizon as seen at 38,000 feet made me think of heaven.  Seeing tiny green leaves emerge and huge magnolia blossoms begin to appear caught my attention, and I looked up.  The magnificent size of monuments built on sure foundations and words carved in marble and granite that conveyed to me the witness of those who had lived their lives in service for others lifted my face.  Grandchildren who let me play with them and who held on tightly before I left were evidence of God’s love and care for me, and I saw the face of Jesus.

Monday was Memorial Day—a day for remembering.  David McNally writes, in Chicken Soup for the Soul, of Captain Gerald L. Coffee, who was a prisoner of war for seven years in Vietnam after his plane was shot down over the China Sea.  His only means of communication with other American prisoners was by tapping on the walls of their prison cells.  Every Sunday a signal was passed as a call to church, and they would stand and recite the 23rd Psalm:  “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”  Captain Coffee realized that, despite being incarcerated in such a terrible place, he would someday, somehow, return to his family.  Finally, on the seventh anniversary of his capture after the peace treaty was signed, he was freed.  In response to the parish priest’s welcome at worship on his first Sunday home, he said, “Faith was really the key . . . faith in God . . . the foundation for it all . . . Our lives are a continuing journey—and we must learn and grow at every bend as we make our way, sometimes stumbling, but always moving, toward the finest within us.”  I believe that Jesus is that finest foundation within us.

The crowds were astounded at Jesus’ teaching:  “He taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”  When they heard Jesus speak, something stirred deep within them.  Tom McGrath writes in the May 20, 2008 issue of The Christian Century, “He was tuned into another power structure, one founded on faith . . . His connection flowed in and through and from the very heart of God . . . from His own experience of being grounded in God.”  Yet, Jesus did not keep the connection to Himself, but proclaimed it and invited all to share in it.  That connection takes the shape of the cross in that God’s grace comes to us and we respond in relationship with Him as well as in His love that runs through us toward one another.  In the Romans’ text, we read that we all sin and depend on the power of God to save us.  It is the faithfulness and obedience of Jesus that makes this possible through His death and Resurrection. 

In the opening verses of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, The Message Bible says, “How blessed is God!  And what a blessing He is! . . . Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love.  Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ.”  For that reason, Jesus is building an Unchangeable Center in our lives.  Know that you are held firmly in God’s hands and in God’s heart.  God stands before us holding a vision that will lift our gaze beyond our current circumstances, no matter how difficult they may be, to all the good that He has in store for us.  His Son, a carpenter, is preparing a place for us; we will see a new heaven and a new earth.  Just as it was impossible to look anywhere but at the ground while we were walking on cobblestone streets or uneven brick walkways in Alexandria’s Old Town, it’s difficult for us to look up when we’re so focused on ourselves.  Only when the path is solid and only when we trust Jesus to be our foundation, can our sight be lifted.  So, remember His words and live them.  Work them into your lives and watch the seeds of hope grow for the world and for tomorrow.  Amen.