How Firm a Foundation

You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but for a little bit while I was in college I worked construction. It was one of those things where I had a little bit of time, I needed to make a little bit of money, and a guy in the church put me to work.

I didn’t really get to do some of the fun things. And I didn’t really get to learn maintenance skills that would help me later in life whenever I needed to fix a drain or renovate a bathroom. I didn’t get to frame the buildings or put a roof up. I didn’t get to crawl around and do electrical or plumbing. What I did was build foundations.

If you’ve never done it before, foundation work is hard work. And it takes a long time. Because you have to get EVERYTHING right. There is no wiggle room when it comes to the foundation because if you do any part of it incorrectly, the building won’t last. If you don’t test the ground to make sure it is able to be built upon, the ground might shift and your building will fall. If your concrete isn’t level or of good quality, you can’t build on it.

I remember one day, we spent HOURS setting posts in the ground to guide the backhoe that was going to dig our footings. An entire day. Making sure every corner was level and square. And this was just to set the guides for the backhoe, it wasn’t even permanent, yet it would still take an entire day of work.

We’d tap with a hammer here or there. Check the leveling machine, tap again, check the machine, tap again. Hours. And then, after three months of setting foundations…the building would be up in no time. Because when you build on a solid, strong, and sound foundation: you are free to creatively build and are less worried about it falling.

I’m glad Paul uses this building metaphor, because there are a lot of buildings in our lives. So it is easier for us to see ourselves in this story and understand what Paul is saying.
You live in a home, you understand the maintenance that goes into that. You work in a school, and understand the maintenance, or lack of, that goes into that. You have chicken houses, and understand all that goes into that. We are in a sanctuary, another building that I hope is important to you as well. Buildings, and how they are built and cared for are a part of who we are.

And in knowing what we know about buildings, foundations are so key. The foundation sets the tone of the building. How strong it is going to be, how big it is going to be…all of it.
But Paul isn’t talking about physical buildings here, though the parallels are highlighted…he is talking about the building that is our faith. Our spiritual house. And he goes ahead and sets the tone that Jesus Christ is our foundation.

This is tremendous news!

Jesus Christ, the one who gave up his divinity out of love of us, his creation, became like one of us so that we might be able to become like him.

Jesus, who taught against the status quo of the world, cared for the poor, and ate with sinners.

Jesus, who faced the cross. An element of torture and execution, used by an oppressive system to strike fear into the masses. Jesus who faced it and when facing it faced all of the things in our lives that strike fear into our world…fear of loss…fear of the other, fear of death…Jesus faced it and took away its power with his love. And rose again, giving his love to us.

That is our foundation. Jesus, who is solid, sure, and strong. And sometimes we have to be reminded of that.

When the people of Israel were wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, do you remember what their biggest problem was? It wasn’t food, because God provided manna and quail. It wasn’t water, because God had Moses strike a rock and water burst forth. Their biggest problem wasn’t even that they melted down their gold jewelry to erect a golden calf in honor of Baal. No, their biggest problem was that they forgot.

They forgot who God was. They forgot what the foundation of their faith was. That they are created and loved by God who will provide for them.
They forgot their foundation…the foundation we know as Jesus Christ. A strong, solid, sure foundation. And so a lot of what we do in our churches is remind people.

And so the question we ask ourselves after being confronted by Paul this morning is…have we forgotten?

Because in the physical world, unless there is a problem, we don’t tend to think about our foundation. Unless there is a shift in the building or a cracked wall…

Another term we used when laying the foundation for building is “footing” and “footprint.” We were setting the footprint of the building. Because you can’t build outside of the foundation so we were establishing what it’s footprint would be on the land.

So in making the shift back to our spiritual building, what kind of footprint has Christ left on your life, upon which you build?
I know people who have only felt the footprint of guilt. Jesus being in their life is only about conviction that they aren’t worthy. They feel disheartened and unworthy to approach God because that is the footprint on them. I knew a man who joined the church when he was 88 years old, and that was the first time he took communion, even though he had attended his entire life. When I asked him why he waited so long to actually join…he told me that he never felt worthy, and it took the message from a friend that to express faith in Jesus Christ makes us worthy, because that is all we need.

But Jesus’ footprint is stronger than that! It is convicting, sure, but it is also forgiving and life giving! Jesus is our foundation so that we might be empowered to be his disciple. Not cower at his presence, but boldly follow. Jesus wants us to know him, not be afraid of him. Be convicted…its healthy, but be sure that Christ as our foundation is stronger than a conviction and can give us strength to change.

I know others who have felt the footprint of arrogance. That knowing Christ as their foundation makes them better than everyone else. But in looking at Jesus actions that doesn’t seem to be the case. Christ shows tremendous humility and even though he is God, he still does not treat others as though he is “better” than them. I think that is another aspect of strength of Christ as our foundation. It is sure, but not showy. I think that is one reason I look with a little bit of skepticism at religious tracts that are left on my car or given to me on the sidewalk. You’ve been to UGA games, you have seen the folks handing these things out as they go from tailgate to tailgate. To me, it is people saying, we are better than you, and you should be like us. When we should really be saying, I’ve found something that I want to share with you. It is the subtle and crucial shift from mandatory to invitational.

So when we are building our spiritual lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ, we don’t build a mansion that is flaunted, but we build a house big enough to let all people in. There is a difference there. It is not your house…it’s God’s house. And God’s house is more concerned with how many guests it can hold than how impressive it is.

And upon this footprint on our souls, the church is built.
We sing a song growing up that may help us understand this a little bit better.

I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together.
The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is the people.

You are the church that is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Not this sanctuary, not any sanctuary. It is you! You are the church.

And our foundation is so strong that every single one of us with all of our talents and weaknesses can come together to be the church together!

Now there are things we must do to build up on our sure foundation.

It takes our presence. Your church is not another extra curricular activity or social group to which you belong. Your church is the people who are sitting next to you. Your church is the people gathering together to praise God. It always happens in community. We gather at this place on Sunday, but when we say we are a part of Bold Spring United Methodist Church we are saying that we are part of each other’s lives. So, if you think about it, every single person you interact with is having contact with this church. And we want them to be a part of this church, so we want you here, when we gather to praise God and serve our neighbor.

And I know, you are busy. With shuttling children and grandchildren, with sports and clubs, with jobs and family. You are all busy people. But I hope you know by now in this point of the worship service how important it is to have a strong foundation, and that foundation is strengthened when you are here.

When you are present with the church, participating as part of the body of Christ.

Church is not, just another thing…it is THE thing. It is life-giving.

Because something that is amazing about the foundation of Jesus Christ is that the more you build on it, the more you know its strength.

When your life seems out of control, and your church is there, you witness a strength that you didn’t know was present in your life.

When you hear news from the doctor that you weren’t expecting, you fully know the strength that is present in your life.

Because later in Corinthians it says that God will come to test your house…so there will be times where it is tested…but it is so you will know how incredibly strong your foundation is.
I hope you know what kind of footprint Jesus has on your life. I hope you build on that footprint so that you know the heights and depths of Christ’s love. And I hope that we continue to build. We continue to build our church by being here, by showing up, by participating, by giving.

And to quote Lowe’s home improvement stores…lets build something together. Let’s build in the full assurance and knowledge and faith of Jesus Christ as our foundation, and our strength. Knowing with full confidence that the more we build together, as a church, relying and supporting one another, the more we will know the wonders of God’s hand. The more we will know just what it means that Jesus Christ died on a cross for us. The more we will know just what is means that we are called to be his disciples.