Construction Zone
As summer has been moving along at its usual breakneck speed, simply driving down a street becomes something of a cross between an obstacle course and a dodge-’em cars amusement park ride. Heavy trucks and other equipment rumble around construction sites, clouds of dust and dirt billow everywhere, and materials of all kinds are scattered around in what appears to be a disorganized mess. If a building is going up, it soon becomes recognizable, at least as a structure for some kind of purpose, even to my totally untrained eye. But some of those street projects (yes, I mean a certain roundabout) are a complete mystery. There are large concrete tubes, huge piles of dirt, and a wide variety of machinery. There seems to be no plan or direction — just a lot of random construction “stuff.” Although I can hazard a guess at what some of these items will be used for, mostly I find myself completely unable to envision what the end result will be. And it doesn’t matter that I can’t figure out what’s going on, because I’m not the contractor or project manager!
References to building and to foundations can be found throughout our Bible. God’s Word and God’s promises are described as the foundations of faith for all Christians. Jesus told the parable of the two houses — one built on a foundation of rock and one on sand, and when the storm came, the house on sand was washed away, but the one on rock stood firm. As long as humans have constructed buildings, bridges, roads and the like, starting with a solid foundation has been a necessary beginning point.
The Apostle Paul used this imagery as he worked to build up and inspire the new churches that he and many other early believers were establishing. Those words are as helpful and meaningful to those of us living in the 21st century as they were to those early Christians in the first century. Paul wrote to the congregation at Ephesus, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.” (Ephesians 2:19-22)
Our foundation has been prepared by those who have gone before us, living and faithfully sharing the Good News of God’s never-ending, abundant love and grace for his entire creation. Every one of us is blessed and called to be members of the household of God. We have the opportunity to invite all people to join with us in building and growing into a dwelling place for God. What an amazing gift it is, that no people will be strangers or aliens, but will be welcomed into a community with not only a solid foundation, but with Christ himself as the cornerstone.
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers