The Firm Foundation of our Relationship with God

Sermon preached at St. Mark’s, Honey Brook, PA

by The Rev. Tom Pumphrey, June 1, 2008

Proper 4, year A: Matthew 7:21-29

Matthew 7:21-29 (NRSV): "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On 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?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.' "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The 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. And 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. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell-- and great was its fall!" Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Today, we sing one of my favorite hymns: “The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.” We have become familiar with these words, but we can say more about that foundation, and today’s Gospel reading challenges us to say more.

Today, we being a capital campaign to raise funds to build an entrance ramp and a new set of stairs, to provide a new heating and air conditioning system for our worship space, to shore up our financial savings, and to celebrate God’s gifts to us by tithing from what we raise and giving that tithe to Steeple to People ministries. As we work on the ramp project, we are consulting with contractors and an architect to be sure that our construction has a good foundation. Some shady contractors out there might build a structure that looks wonderful above ground, but without a firm foundation, that structure will fall.

This church building—this structure—has stood here since 1835 because it stands on a solid foundation. Others have trouble with their structures. Holy Trinity in West Chester, for instance, worships in a beautiful building. But decades after its construction, they discovered that the serpentine stone that they used is horrible as a building material. The stone degrades over time, so they’ve been working on how to strengthen the building.

This building was built in 1835, and it stands on a firm foundation. This building has a firm foundation. But if the church does not have a firm foundation—if the church that occupies this building does not have a firm foundation, then this building could become another Danish furniture store. Perhaps some of you have seen the gorgeous old church building in Downingtown that is now a Danish furniture store…

You see, the church is not simply the building. The church worships in a building, but the true church is the Christian Community. If we are not built on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ, then we are no different from the Kiwanas or the Rotary Club. If our capital campaign is not meant to build up the church, then we are misguided. This campaign seeks to raise money and to fulfill our goals of these projects. But if, in the course of the campaign, our relationship with God is not renewed or if our relationship with others in Christ is not strengthened, then the campaign will have been a failure.

What good is a ramp if we don’t show up to worship?

What good is a ramp if we never invite people in, or use this space to pray for each other and share in God’s healing and life-changing power?

In the Gospel reading today, Jesus says “Not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of God, but only the one who does the will of my father in heaven.” Yet the people that Jesus criticizes are indeed doing good works. They are prophesying in his name, casting out demons in his name—they were doing the good works that God wants us to do (just like Kiwanas and Rotary and Shriners, etc.). But to them, Jesus says “I never knew you.”

Listen to the words of the hymn:

“The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord

She is his new creation by water and the Word.

From heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride,

With his own blood he bought her and for her life he died”

If the church is the bride of Christ, then our foundation is a relationship—a commitment to a steadfast and high-priority marriage to God. A marriage lasts because of a steadfast commitment—not just in theory, but in action—daily attention to self-giving, self-sacrificial and joyful connection to each other. When the rains fall and the floods come and the wind beats against that marriage, and those times of hardship always come, then that relationship will stand, because its foundation is secure.

The Church will stand so long as our relationship with God is nurtured and fed and strengthened each day. We nurture this relationship in prayer and study and ministry and gathering here in corporate worship together, sharing our life in Christ together. Remember that the church is not a collection of individuals who each have a separate relationship with God. We are a community in relationship with God and each other in Jesus Christ.

The Church’s foundation is our steadfast relationship with God in Jesus Christ.

Back to the capital campaign for a moment. The campaign is an opportunity. This is an opportunity to grow in our relationship with God—trusting God to provide for us financially—both as a church and as individuals who contemplate giving. Symbolized by the campaigns main setting of personal conversations between volunteers and parishioners, this is a chance to grow in our relationships in Christ. This is an opportunity to renew our lives with Jesus Christ is the center of what brings us together, helping us to be open to what God can do in the midst of our relationships.

The conversations that make up the capital campaign will also raise some people’s anxieties and stress and maybe even some conflict. THIS IS OK. This shows us where the foundation of our church is built on sand instead of on our relationships with Jesus. If our church is built on the priority of personal entertainment, then it will collapse when we don’t feel entertained. If our church is built on surface happiness and lack of conflict, then will our church stand when the rains fall and the floods come and the winds of conflict beat against us, as they surely will?

In this campaign, and indeed in any ongoing ministry of the church, we discover where we have built our faith on rock or on sand. We constantly have the opportunity to strengthen our foundations as we strengthen our relationship with God and with each other in Christ. With Christ at the center of our life together, with our lives constantly fed and nourished by prayer and study and worship and ministry, we will leave a lasting legacy of faithfulness and fruitfulness in the Gospel. We will truly thrive when our foundation is our relationship with Jesus Christ.