Good morning: The median sale price of a home in Milwaukee is $211,000. Obviously, before spending that kind of money, you want to be sure that the house is solid and will provide protection from the elements for years to come. The most critical component is the foundation. If the house isn’t built on something stable, no matter what materials are used elsewhere, it is doomed to collapse. That’s why Jesus said in a familiar parable that a foolish man built on a foundation of sand, while the wise man built on rock. But Jesus was not simply giving home-building or home-buying advice, He was illustrating the importance of building one’s life on something that will last. What is that solid foundation? Many say that it is a good education. With a good education you can get a job, earn a living, build a home, raise a family, and save a nest egg for retirement. Continuing education after formal schooling will keep you current with the latest trends and technological advances. You will be successful. That house looks solid, but if you go downstairs into the basement and look closely, there isn’t really a foundation, at least not one that is going to last. Learning how to make it in this world is limited wisdom because this world and our time in it is limited. The education which truly does prepare one not only for the present but for eternity is that which points to the source of everything—the Lord Jesus. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible….He is before all things, and in him all things hold together….He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Col. 1:15-18). No matter what it is in this world, Jesus has the supremacy as the Creator of it. In Him all things hold together. To truly understand the world and our place in it, we need Him. In Jesus we learn where we came from, what we were, who we are now by His saving work, and where we are going. It’s an ongoing education offered in Word and Sacrament. What are you building on? May we never grow tired of building our lives on the Rock which can withstand any storm in life, no matter how severe. Tomorrow is our annual Education Sunday. Prof. John Ude, a former pastor of Messiah who currently teaches at Immanuel Lutheran in Eau Claire, will be our guest speaker. Remember that there is only one service: 9 a.m. A fellowship hour will follow the service. Yours in Christ, Pastor
