May 29, 2005

Second Sunday of Pentecost

“On Solid Ground”

     A number of years ago, when Kay and I were looking to buy our first house, I did most of the looking because I had a job where I was on the road a lot.  I remember meeting a realtor at a house that seemed like a great deal.  It was a newly constructed log home on a nice wooded lot and for an incredibly low price.  It seemed like a deal too good to be true!  It was.  It looked great from the front, but when we went around the back there was a huge hole where the foundation was supposed to be!  The entire end of the basement had caved in.

     A house needs a solid foundation.  So do we.

Psalm 61: “I call to you, O Lord, when my heart is faint.  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I am; for you are my refuge.”

Psalm 62: “God alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”

     The rock Jesus speaks of is God.  A life built upon faith in God is a secure life able to weather storms, to stand strong in the face of evil and live fully, even beyond death.  But of course, many people today seek security elsewhere – bank accounts, investments, real estate, self-reliance, self-security.

     Statistics tell us that a huge number of people, something like 80 or 90% of the people in this country believe in God.  Well, at least that’s what they say in surveys.  But where life really gets lived, where the rubber hits the road, statistics don’t mean much.  Believing there is a God isn’t the same as trusting in God.  Faith is not an intellectual exercise or wishful thinking.  It is belief with legs.  It has as much to do with where you put your feet as it does with what comes out of your mouth.  Or as the second chapter of the book of James puts it:

“Faith without works is dead.”

     Or as Jesus would put it, paying lip-service to God is like building a house on the sand.

     There’s plenty of that going these days.  The Lord’s name gets tossed around all the time and is used as justification for all sorts of causes, some of them downright evil.  The Oklahoma City bombing was carried out by people professing faith in Christ, and we see God’s name being praised when car bombs go off in Iraq, too.  But this is not God’s will and this is not following Christ’s way. 

     We are called to higher ground, to that place where Isaiah’s dream of swords being hammered into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks becomes reality.  Christ’s radically inclusive love embraces the whole, diverse people of God and affirms the value of each person.  This love not only heals us, but challenges our prejudices and sword rattling nationalism, too.

     There is a better way to live, a way of peace.  “Follow me,” said Jesus, “build your life upon the Rock.”  And his radically inclusive love includes us and forgives us, saves us from ourselves.  His love calls us to grow, to come alive with faith.

     This holiday is a time for remembering those who gave their lives so we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.  Generations of my family fought in previous wars - the Civil War, the First World War, the Second World War and the Korean Conflict.  I just missed the draft for Vietnam and I am thankful for that.  They did what they believed was right and what they believed was a last resort.  They hoped the battles they fought would be the last battles anyone would have to fight.  We honor them today for what they gave, but perhaps the best tribute we can pay them is to also do what we can to bring the fighting to an end.

     We cannot do this by drawing more lines in the sand.  We must get off the sand and build on solid ground.  Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are those who dream of peace” but, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” 

     Life built on the Rock is a life that is blessed and a life that is a blessing.  From there, light is cast into dark places and there is wholeness, healing and hope. 

Psalm 37:  “Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will live securely in the land.”

     Trust the One who loves and forgives you.  Seek to walk the higher road and the Lord’s peace will be with you, the Lord’s peace will shine through you.