Some of you may have heard that my husband Peter and I have spent much of the past month looking for a new home closer to this church. We like houses with charm and character, so we are looking at old houses – really old. One of the things I learned quickly when we first started looking was that it is risky to get too attached to a particular house until Peter has had a chance to inspect the cellar. When we look at a house, he spends a lot of time down in the basement examining the wiring, scrutinizing the pipes, studying the heating system, and checking the foundation.

If he comes back upstairs saying, “The house has good bones,” then I know the cellar had passed his inspection and we can continue looking at the rest of the house. But if he comes back upstairs shaking his head, then I know we will be making a hasty exit, because he has found something radically wrong with the foundation of the house.

But it’s not just the foundation of a building that’s important; it’s also what that foundation is resting on. Several years ago, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was re-opened to the public after being closed for almost 12 years. It had been shut down in 1990 for a decade-long restoration project costing $25 million dollars to correct its famous “lean.” But the problem with the tower was not that it was leaning – and still is; the problem is that it’s sinking.

The sinking began almost immediately after construction began back in the 12th century. After only three stories of the bell tower had been completed, construction was halted for 100 years to allow the foundation to settle. When construction was resumed, the builders tried to compensate for the lean by placing their stones a bit to the other side. But it didn’t work; and the tower not only continued to lean but also took on a slight banana shape. It is unlikely that the problem will ever be completely rectified, because all the trouble stems from where the tower was erected in the first place – it was built on sand.

In this morning’s Gospel reading, which comes at the end of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses the example of solid and sandy foundations to speak about the choices we make in following God. He tells his listeners that “Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock, and everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” This example of sandy soil was one with which his audience could easily identify, for it was drawn from the terrain of Palestine

For most of the year there is no heavy rain in that region. The riverbeds dry up during the summer, leaving smooth and inviting plains called wadis. People looking for a place to build a house would have been attracted to these riverbeds; during the summer when they were dry and appeared stable enough to support a building.

And as long as it was summer, everything was just fine; as long as the sun was shining, everything was safe. But then the seasons changed – summer turned to fall and fall to winter, which is the rainy season in Palestine. And when the rains came, sudden torrents would rush down from the hills into the valleys, and those dried up riverbeds were quickly flooded with raging water that uprooted those houses from their sandy foundations.

Although both houses in Jesus’ parable faced the same elements, the wise person’s -- built on rock -- stood firm, while the foolish person’s -- built on sand -- fell with a great crash.

And so it is with life, Jesus is saying. We will all go through our rainy seasons, and the foundation upon which we have built our life will determine how well we weather the storms.

It’s a simple story, isn’t it? There are two ways to live: we can be a wise builder or a foolish one. Even though the book of Hebrews asserts that the real “builder of all things is God” [3:4], God graciously gives each of us the freedom to make decisions regarding the building of our life. Have you checked under your house lately? What is the foundation of your life?

Scripture tells where to go for a sure foundation. The writer of Psalm 89 [v. 26] proclaims that “God is my rock and my salvation.” Deuteronomy [32:4] declares “God is the Rock and God’s work is perfect.” The prophet Isaiah tells us “The LORD… will be the sure foundation for your times…“ [33:6] and we are “look to the rock from which you were hewn” [51:1]. And the Apostle Paul tells us that “Christ is chief cornerstone” [Ephesians 2:20].

In this morning’s Old Testament reading, the Psalmist tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” We find comfort and hope in those words when the foundation of our life shakes and the world changes. September 11 was one of those times. We were overwhelmed by grief, flooded by fear, unsure of the future. And religious leaders around the country recited the confident words of the Psalmist: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult…God is in the midst…” When devastating events like September 11 happen, we can rely on the sure foundation of God’s unshakeable presence.

Life, like New England weather, is unpredictable. One minute the skies are sunny, and then suddenly the storm clouds roll in. One minute everything seems under control, all seems to be going well and then – the sudden accident, the unexpected diagnosis, the bewildering change of circumstances. Life can turn on a dime.

We will all face stormy weather sooner or later. Jesus tells us that God “sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” alike [Matthew 5:45]. But we are promised God’s unshakeable support and comfort in the midst of the life's trials. We may not be spared from the tempests of life, but having faith in God can make every difference in how we weather the storms.

Have you checked under your house lately? Money, power, prestige, looks, material possessions, social status – these are all sand. During the sunny weather, when your foundation isn’t being tested, it doesn't matter that you’ve built your house on these things. But when the gales start to howl and the downpour begins, how will they hold up against the wind and rain?

One of things I loved to do when I lived on the North Shore was to visit the grounds of the Coolidge Reservation in Manchester-by-the-Sea. I would walk along Black Beach and then traverse the rocky boulders at water’s edge, making my way up to a grassy promontory that juts out into the Atlantic. Way down below, the waters would crash beneath my feet, out of sight. I wouldn’t be able to see the water under me, because it would mean getting too close to the edge, and I’m not that brave. Yet I could hear the churning and splashing of the waves. It was easy to imagine for a moment that the ground was being washed out from under me, and the thought filled me with fear. And then I would relax, knowing that I was standing on solid, immovable rock.

There is much churning around underneath the surface of our lives; it’s easy to feel as though everything is about to be swept out from under our feet. It is inevitable that we will face difficult times in our lives, and it is unsettling to feel so vulnerable. But if you have built your life on the firm foundation of God, though the winds may howl and the torrents overwhelm you and you feel as if we are drowning, God will hold you upright and keep you strong against the storm.

Have you checked under your house lately?

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