Toward the close of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus compared how two kinds of people, the wise and the foolish, build their houses.  The wise person, he said, builds his house upon a sturdy foundation, one that is hewn from stone and rock.  His house will withstand any storm that comes upon it.

     But the foolish person, he said, builds his house on a foundation of dirt and sand.  His house will vanish with the first storm of the season, gone as quickly as it appeared.

     What do Jesus' metaphors mean?  Let's think about something Jesus said to the Jewish leader Nicodemus toward the beginning of his ministry in Galilee.  As the third chapter of John recounts the episode, Nicodemus admitted to Jesus that the only way that he could have done what he had been doing would be if he had come from God.  Immediately sensing that Nicodemus understood something pivotal to grasping the essence of his ministry, Jesus replied, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

     If you really want to understand and know me, Nicodemus, Jesus was saying, you must become a new person, an absolutely and completely new person.  But, he was also saying, Nicodemus, you will never be able to do this on your own.  You're a captive of the passing sands of your earthly existence.  Nicodemus, you must find your rebirth in God.  You must make God the core of your spiritual genesis and beginning; you must entrust your spiritual journey to God, the rock that withstands all attempts to undermine it.

     When we find our spiritual rebirth in God, we are genuinely and permanently "born again."  We find a uniquely new life, a uniquely new way of being, a joyfully rich beingness that did not come from us but from the only one who can give it to us:  God.  We build our lives on the only foundation that lasts, the foundation in which all things have their origin and meaning.

     And we make the starting points of our life steadfast and sure, our vision clear and true.  We root our lives in a solid footing, a firm escarpment of rebirth and renewal that is rooted in the ultimate truth of creation.  Our lives will hold up under any storms that come our way, our purview supports us through any trial we endure.  Our soul stays fresh, constantly challenged, refined, and encouraged and enabled to become one step better than it is now.  Life becomes an exciting new journey, for it has a new beginning.  Why should it not?  It’s now rooted in God.