We're singing to the top of our lungs.
The wise man built his house upon the rocks
the wise man built his house upon the rocks
the wise man built his house upon the rocks
and the rain came tumbling down ...
We're listening to a collection of children's songs Sarah purchased containing both secular and religious songs.
"The wheels on the bus go round and round" is followed by the ditty we're singing.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
the foolish man built his house upon the sand
the foolish man built his house upon the sand
and the rain came tumbling down ...
"Wait a minute!" I say to my three year old daughter, "there is absolutely nothing wrong with a house on the Beach! If anything it's the better investment! Even if a Hurricane blows it away, the property value remains constant."
"TURN IT UP!" Che yells unconcerned with the real estate lesson.
The rain came down and the floods came up
the rain came down and the floods came up
the rain came down and the floods came up
and the foolish man's house went spat!
The song is built around Jesus' words ending Matthew's version of the Sermon on the Mount.
"Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them, I liken them to a wise man who builds his house upon a rock. The rain came down and the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against the house yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on rock."
Sounds like home building to hurricane code specifications.
Jesus was far ahead of his times in so many ways.
"Everyone who hears my words and does't do them I liken to a foolish man who builds his house upon the sand ... and "the rain came down and the flood came up and the foolish man's house went SPLAT!"
It's a funny ending to a collection of Jesus' sayings about Judging others, asking/seeking/knocking, taking the narrow or wide gate, true or false prophets, true or false disciples and home building.
The fact of the matter though is we prefer being sand dwellers here today, perfectly willing run the risk of houses built upon sand rather than the safety and security of a solid foundation.
Islands are filled with shifty people each sacrificing security for a life not restricted to human engineered spaces and sights.
Rules are not the strong suits of people who live on islands.
Wind, surf, stretches of sand, the waves sloppily kissing the shore, sea birds and you can literally turn your back on every human being, and every human structure to have your own commanding view of creation the way God made it.
As my friend Jane Fishman once put it, everybody who lives on an island is either running to, or from, something.
Island people, sand shifting souls, catch life and ride it, live in the moment
The solid-as-rock people live differently, preferring rules and regulations in vain attempts to keep life from changing things the way things are ... building stability, order and illusions of security.
Rock people build immovable Churches out of stones where people orderly file in to worship according to prescriptive dogma and liturgy.
Sandy souls make use of weddings and funerals but don't need much else knowing the Holy Spirit blows like the wind and it's best to ride with it if you catch on.
We understand Jesus was merely using a metaphor when talking about houses built upon the sand and the first place he chose to go after coming back from the dead was the Beach (John 21).
Sandy souls are interested in finding the living Jesus today.
Rock people sing "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand" ... believing they're the only ones singing.
Sandy souls sing, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
Let's end today's service by professing our believe that "you don't know what you got till it's gone."
Amen.
