Scripture: Matthew 7:7-12, 24-29
Dear Church,
As I sit in a coffee shop working on this letter to you, the woman at the next table is reading intensely. She’s underlining and taking notes and pausing frequently to reflect on what’s she’s just read. She’s consuming the book she’s reading. I wondered what she was studying so intensely, so I snuck a peak. The title is ‘How to Get Rich.’
Jesus’ final words in the sermon on the mount are words of warning. He says that those who hear his words and put them into practice are like wise homemakers who build their houses on stone foundations. But those who hear his words and do not live according to them are like fools who build their homes on sand. When (not if!) storms come, houses built on sand wash away. Only houses built on rocks escape destruction.
The woman sitting next to me in the coffee shop this morning is studying her book so intensely because she believes that if she reads and applies it’s principals she’ll gain wealth that will allow her to build a life of safety, security and opportunity. She’s not reading that book for pleasure, she’s reading it because she plans to put the words into action. If she reads it cover to cover and doesn’t change her spending habits, she’s just wasting her time. She doesn’t look like she is wasting her time.
Jesus invites us to read his words with equal intensity and intentionality. Powerful and true as they are, Jesus’ words are pretty useless to us unless we let them shape our daily lives.
Jesus doesn’t want us to turn to his teachings to soothe our emotions or signal our virtue. He certainly doesn’t want us to weaponize them against other people. He doesn’t say ‘those who hear and memorize my words’ or ‘those who understand and agree with my words,’ he says those who put my words into action will experience salvation from the storm. He says those who hear his words and then continue to live as if they hadn’t are foolish.
Jesus is calling us to changed choices. He wants us to build our lives as if what he is telling us–about wealth, power, sin, grace, healing, love and courage–is true. He is telling us that, though it doesn’t always look like it will, letting his words shape our actions will lead us into flourishing, resilient and joy-filled life here and now.
And we are discovering that together at the Grove, not just on Sunday morning at 10am (in the sanctuary or on the livestream!), but also in the many, many other ways we gather to live out the words of Jesus.
Peace,
Pastor Kate
Want to chat about what you have heard? Click here:
https://www.thegrovecharlotte.org/connect-with-us
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS