Advent Word: House
This house, built on rock foundations has withstood rain, high tides, wind, hail and snowstorms since the 18th century. It is built on secure foundations.
When I thought about today's word 'house' for Day 6 of the Advent Word Calendar 2019 my mind went straight back to being a child in Sunday School. I remember so often singing a chorus, "The wise man built his house upon the rock." That children's chorus was based on a parable of Jesus about people who hear Jesus words and act on them, in contrast to those who hear Jesus' words and do not act on them. I loved singing about the house on the rock standing firm in rain, floods and winds, while the house on the sand fell FLAT.
In Matthew's Gospel, the parable of the wise and foolish builders comes at the end of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
Here is the parable:
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded 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. the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell - and great was its fall."
Matthew 7: 24 - 27 NRSV
So, I'm thinking that an Advent challenge could be to re-read the whole Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapters 5 - 7 and notice where I am a hearer of Jesus' words who acts on them, or not. You could do the same.
Image Credit: Richard Suttcliffe on Geograph, Creative Commons License
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