A Firm Foundation

1 Corinthians 3:11
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

When I was growing up, we lived 1,000 miles away from grandparents and a slew of other relatives. We would make the pilgrimage from Georgia to Massachusetts once a year, in the summer, and stay for two or three weeks. I have many precious and happy memories of our visits, but only one remembrance of my Great-Grandma Jessie, a devout and practicing Christian, who passed away when I was seven.

I was six-years-old when I learned the song, "The Wise Man Built His House Upon a Rock", and the hand-motions that accompanied it. I taught it to my brother, Bill, then age three. Duly impressed, our parents suggested it would be a wonderful gesture to perform it for Great-Grandma Jessie when we went to see her. We were so excited and just couldn't wait to visit! The day arrived at last, and this is the memory I have of it, as distinct and clear as if it happened yesterday. Great-Grandma was seated, a bit hunched over on the sofa, flanked by two of her three daughters. I recall thinking at the time that she was, without a doubt, the oldest person I had ever seen in the short span of my life. Her sharp nose and pointed chin made her look more stern and stoic than she truly was. It caused me to wonder, in one fleeting and nervous moment, if she really would like our song after all. There was no time to dwell on this, however; the time to perform had arrived.

As Bill and I sang the song and executed the motions together, Great-Grandma Jessie's eyes grew moist behind her old-timey spectacles and a broad, engaging smile engulfed her care-worn face. She was completely enchanted, and I remember feeling an overwhelming surge of love for this woman I hardly knew. When we finished, she stretched out her lean, bony arms toward us, inviting us to share in a hug of thanks. I know how gratifying it must have been for her to hear her great-grandchildren singing about her precious Lord, the rock, the firm foundation upon which she had built her life.

"Jesus, you're my firm foundation,
I know I can stand secure.
Jesus, you're my sure foundation;
I put my hope in your holy word,
I put my hope in your holy word." ~ Jamie Harvill and Nancy Gordon

Readings
Psalms (70), 71 or 74
1 Kings 22:29-45
1 Corinthians 2:14-3:15
Matthew 5:1-10