FROM THE PULPIT: THE IMPORTANCE OF FOUNDATIONS

In April I attended the Peter Lowe's Success Seminar 1998 in St. Louis with two friends. Since I didn't have to drive I had the opportunity to look around and see the great structures of the downtown area. As we started our journey home we came face to face with the Arch. For a moment I had a flashback of my childhood. I was not living in St. Louis when the Arch was constructed. However, I was fortunate to see some of the construction progress when my father and mother and I went to see my Aunt Katy.

The Arch was several years in construction. For the first year, we could see nothing. Engineers and construction workers had dug a deep hole, were driving steel pilings to bed rock and pouring tons of concrete to form the foundation. While it seemed as though nothing was taking place from the surface level, I know that some of the most important work was in the laying of the foundation. The foundation would need to support the 625 foot monument, it would need to withstand a possible earthquake, strong winds, any unforeseen circumstance. How great the cost of just the foundation!

Jesus gave a parable of foundations. In the Gospel of Luke is the story of the house on rock or on sand (Luke 6:46-49). Jesus has a keen understanding of buildings houses. But even more, Jesus knew the importance of house building was the foundation -- rock versus sand! The spiritual foundation of life is of life-and-death importance! It determines whether or not our "house' or life will stand.

The foundation is built expending a great deal of time and energy. Our spiritual foundation requires continuous nurture. In Luke's story, Jesus speaks of the men who has heard his words and acted upon them as one "who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon the rock."

Paul also speaks of the importance of foundations when he said in I Corinthians 3:11 "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw -- each man's work will become manifest." As individual, some of the spiritual foundations of our lives was laid by our parents, or by other relatives and teachers in our churches and in our community. Our world and communities are at times in turmoil. We need to remain faithful to the ultimate foundation in both our individual lives and our congregational life, which is Jesus Christ.

His spirit and direction is the key ingredient for our lives and fellowship. How about your spiritual life's house? How about your family's? Is it built on rock or sand? God's costly foundation for our lives and the world is that he "so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." No matter what comes our way, when we make our individual lives and our church's life a reflection of His spirit that we shall have the eternal life, the new and abundant life that he promises.