Word to the Wise
Thursday, December 6, 2007 - Thursday of the First Week of Advent
[Isaiah 26:2-6 and Matthew 7:21,24-27]Isaiah: "Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal rock." Matthew: "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock."
I don't know if the commercial still airs or not, but I recall the insurance company that had the musical line, "Get a piece of the rock!" And any tour of a Bourbon distillery in this neck of the woods tells the participant that we sit on a broad limestone plateau that filters the water used in making good Bourbon whiskey! I never thought of rock as porous, but there it is! Certainly the Bible is full of rock, from Sinai to the stones picked up by the crowd to throw at Jesus! I can tell you from my own visit to the Holy Land that it is a rocky place! Using rock as a metaphor for God is natural because rock is seen as durable, lasting and strong. Jesus uses rock to describe the person who "listens to these words of mine and acts on them." Such a person is established on a solid foundation. Notice that he says "listens" AND "acts" - so we can't just politely hear and go away. Perhaps it might be a good exercise to ask how the image of rock appeals or doesn't appeal to us in regard to God or Jesus or faith? For some it might mean something hard and cold and possibly dangerous. But for others, it may mean security and endurance and faithfulness, as when we refer to a friend or spouse as our "rock." If the image is helpful, my advice is "get a piece of it!" AMEN
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