06/28/2026 Full Worship Service - Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

 

06/21/2026 Full Worship Service - Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and Father's Day

 

06/14/2026 Full Worship Service - Third Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon Text for June 7, 2026

    Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

During the rainstorms a couple of weeks ago, there was one major problem which many people had to suffer: basement flooding. And the main reason was not just because there was too much water: it was mostly because there were cracks in the foundation that allowed water to seep through; in some cases, the foundation was gone completely, because of age or erosion over time. So when that happened, a lot of basements around our area got flooded, either because of a weak foundation, or no foundation at all.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells us exactly what happens when flooding happens to houses. One man, He says, was wise, and built his house on rock a solid foundation, and one which wouldn’t allow any leaking or seepage to get into the house. The foolish man built his house on sand, which wasn’t any kind of a foundation at all. When floodwaters came, the waters leaked into the house because the sand was allowing the water to rise in the first place, and the sand wasn’t a sturdy foundation for the house to stand on. Anyone who has been to the beach and built a sandcastle knows how quickly sand crumbles when only a little bit of water gets on it. Same thing with this building: when the floodwaters came, the house crumbled easily.

Now this story isn’t just good building advice, but it’s a reminder: again, the reason we had so many basements flood around here was because the foundations were allowed to erode and probably weren’t even watched. In all fairness, nobody probably even noticed the foundations had cracked or eroded until there was a problem. And how often has that happened in our lives? We can be going along, thinking everything’s just fine, confident that we have it all together and everything’s under control, until suddenly, we get hit with a disaster which shakes us to our very foundation. It can even also be something like, we’re driving along, everything’s fine, and then all of a sudden, a deer leaps out in front of us, causing us to swerve and crash, or hit the deer. Or someone suddenly rear ends or sideswipes us unexpectedly. In another case, we can be going along confident in good health, but then all of a sudden, we get a pain in our chests, or other parts of our bodies, or start coughing uncontrollably, or start feeling tired and fatigued unexpectedly. So then we go to the doctor and get a surprise diagnosis of a condition or illness we didn’t expect, or think we had in any way. Which, again, shakes us to our foundation. Also, we can be confident in stability in our families or friendships, but then suddenly a family member or friend springs a crisis on us, or tells us they no longer want to be part of our family or friendship. Or, we suddenly lose a family member or friend to death. We can get hit with an unexpected bill or expense, which sets us back financially; or, see that the price of gas or something we get at the grocery store has unexpectedly gone up, when our funds are tight as it is. What do you do when everything you’ve had confidence in suddenly disappoints you; what you thought was true turns out not to be true any more; and you get a nasty surprise in some other way? What do you do when what you have built the foundation of your life on suddenly gets cracked? What do you do when you get attacked by the floodwaters of the problems and struggles of life? Where do you go for help, and what do you rely on to help get you through what you’re suddenly having to go through?

A famous pastor named Augustus Toplady was traveling in England in the 1760s, near a place called Burrington Combe, when he was suddenly attacked by literal floodwaters: he got caught in a major rainstorm, and had to rush to seek shelter or he would be in danger from the waters. The story, which may or may not be entirely true, is that he ran for protection under a large solid rock, and was protected by the rock from the storm. Again, so the story goes, while he was cowering under the cover of the rock, the words, “Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee” came to him, and reminded him that, even as he protected by the rock from the storm, he was also constantly protected by God’s power through all the storms of his life. Toplady was also a firm believer in the idea that, when trouble happens, we cannot, nor should we, try to do anything to save or rescue ourselves. We are to rely on God and His help alone. That’s where the hymn we just sang a moment ago came from: a reminder that, when we are attacked by anything bad or unfavorable, we have only one refuge, one place to go, one help to rely on: God Himself. We also cannot fix our problems ourselves: only God can rescue us and bring us through what we’re going through.

But we also have to look at ourselves honestly, and ask an honest question: are we maintaining our foundations? Again, the reason flooding happens is when the foundation is cracked, weak, or eroded. What foundation are we really building on? Are we building a foundation on our own confidence, or confidence in God? Are we only believing in God when things are going well, or does our faith and trust in God crumble when things go badly? Do we rely on God and His help only when things are going well, or when we are attacked by the problems, the floods, of life? And, if we can’t solve our own problems, do we give up and despair, or do we ask God for help? It’s certainly easy to give up and give in - but God doesn’t want us to. In fact, if any of you are facing a situation right now where you just want to give up, you are encouraged to talk to someone, someone here in your church family, tell them what’s going on, and ask them to pray with you. We are to be here for each other to help build each other up, and build up the solid foundation of both our own individual faith, and of our church family, as we are in relationship with God and with each other.

There is only one true foundation that we can build our lives on, and that is God. As we were reminded last week, He, and He alone, is immortal, all-powerful, and almighty. He alone can take control of whatever we’re facing, and deal with it in the way He knows is best. We also have the promise that because Jesus died on the cross and rose again, we have free and open access to God’s power at all times. He is with us, is on our side, is fighting for us, and is carrying us through every moment of life. And, because He is immortal and all-powerful, He alone can defeat any powers which are against us right now. Again, if any of you are being attacked, you are encouraged to find someone to talk to and pray with you. There is power in prayer, and there is power in praying together: whenever we pray together, we encourage each other, and we both are reminded that God is always with us and is doing something right now.

Also, there’s another crucial honest question we have to ask ourselves: what kinds of things are we allowing to cause cracks in our foundations? Just as little cracks turn into bigger cracks over time, there are little things in our lives, which, if left unrecognized and uncontrolled, will cause bigger problems for us. For example, if we allow anger, bitterness, or resentment over something that has happened, or something that is ongoing, to occupy our thoughts and feelings, that’s going to cause us to become angry, bitter, and resentful, and erode the foundation of peace and confidence God wants us to build our lives on. It will also cause us to focus on the bad that is happening in our lives, instead of the good and blessings that God is giving us. So, to “patch up” that crack, we are to ask God to resolve whatever is causing our anger or bitterness, and for Him to give us the ability to forgive, make amends or apologies where necessary, and move on. Jesus has taught us to trust God, and love other people as He loves us, and if we continue to put this into practice, we will continue to have our foundation be strengthened and whole.

Since there is so much we struggle with every day, we are to continue building on the foundation we already have been established on, by daily Bible reading and praying, asking for God’s guidance, and the ability to keep putting what Jesus has taught us into practice in our everyday lives. Especially, we are to ask Jesus to help us live with confidence in God’s power, and be of help and support to others who need reminders of His power. On Christ the solid rock we stand - let’s continue to stand on our solid foundation, and let God guard us against all dangers and floods.

Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

06/07/2026 Full Worship Service - Second Sunday after Pentecost