text:_ Matthew 7:24-29 Reflections

MATTHEW 7:24-29
SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

Cambria, NY. in the mid 1950's could have been easily labeled "the little town that time forgot". Many of my family's neighboring farmers got their water from an outside hand pump. Manually started tractors and outhouses were common place.

My first introduction to the stories in the Bible came by way of two women who showed up once a month at our one room schoolhouse to give religious instruction. It was here I learned a song connected with today's reading (Matthew 7:24-29). "The rains came down and the floods came up" we sang with the appropriate hand motions. Notice in the text there were some common features to both individuals in the story.

Both had built a house, heard the words of Jesus and experienced something like a hurricane. It would be easy to say the difference was that one was a believer while the other was not. The story, however, really hits on something very fundamental to the definition of a true follower. The wise person put Jesus' words into practice. Things like forgiveness, not holding grudges, growing in faith, serving others, etc. were where the rubber met the road as far as Jesus was concerned.

Often the test of how well we are doing in this matter comes when the storms of life show up. "And the house on the sand fell flat" we sang as we heartily slapped our desks.