God’s Foundations by Stewart Perry
In our time on the Gold Coast, one thing hasn’t changed – there’s always construction work somewhere on the Gold Coast… especially on the roads! Given the population increase that they’re predicting into the future and the construction that’s anticipated for the 2032 Olympic Games, I think building projects will continue to be part of the Gold Coast scenery for the foreseeable future.
One of my friends from the gym I go to is in construction. He supervises big projects. He’s always asking me questions about what I do, including while we were working out in a class yesterday. I’ve never really imagined myself doing his job but after our chat yesterday I started to wonder what his type of work would be like. And then I thought… why don’t we all do it…
So just for a moment, imagine you’re in charge of a big construction project, that’s really important…
You can’t just trust any builder… we’ve all seen the news reports about the ones that don’t have the right certification, the ones that go bust leaving the job half done, the ones where the costs blowout, and the ones that take way to long to get the job done.
You just can’t get anyone to do the job, you want someone with experience, someone you can trust because someone you trust has given them a good recommendation, someone who’s successfully completed projects like this one before, someone who’ll be there to fix any problems down the track if and when they emerge.
And when it comes to preparing and planning, you need to budget, you need to allow for cost increases, contingencies. (That’s possibly the only part of this scenario that’s realistic in my instance. As an accountant the financial aspect is probably the only thing I’d be qualified to do.) You’d want to make sure you not only have the right type of building with the right amount of space, you also need to make sure it’s going to be structurally sound and able to withstand extreme elements… you need solid foundations… the ground needs to be correctly prepared, the materials need to perfectly compliment the location, conditions and be strong enough to stand the test of time.
That all seems reasonable and logical… right?
But now consider how God works in the world… have you read the bible?
Everyone that God seems to choose, seems to be the wrong person for the job particularly the guys… the women of the bible are much more capable, however, many of them seem to find themselves in unusual places doing unexpected things. But think of the “big guns”… Abraham was told to walk before God and be blameless but then went and passed his wife off as his sister so he didn’t get into trouble, Joseph was a spoiled brat with a taste for revenge, Moses couldn’t speak in public, not to mention he murdered an Egyptian, David was unfaithful… and these are some of the people God chose to be the foundation for revealing God’s character…
The Old Testament is littered with examples of people being under-qualified, underprepared, ill-equipped, of questionable character and people none of us in our right mind would chose for any position of authority or responsibility…
The New Testament continues the pattern… the disciples were nothing special… tradies, fishermen and a tax collector – no one liked tax collectors. Peter said dumb things… a lot… Thomas was impatient and why keep Judas around when in the end he was always going to be the bad guy? Paul was no saint when he started off… from the privileged elite, persecuting Christians for fun…
So what does that say to us in a world that says we need to find security in qualifications, training, success, opportunities, meeting expectations, delivering outcomes, and fitting in while standing out?
Maybe it says that’s not where we lay our foundations…
Maybe it also says that we don’t need to be extraordinary, exceptional, pure or spotless, have the most talent or the best location or facilities or team.
As a new year begins, goals and resolutions aren’t bad… but the best foundation we can lay for the year ahead is to know who we are and why we are… and the love of God, the life death and resurrection of Jesus, and the active work of the Holy Spirit are all we need to answer the question of who we are and why we are…
As we move into 2025, let us pray, Lord build your kingdom, build it in and through us, shaky foundations as we might be… hold us together by your grace, forgiveness and power, that we might be your agents of mission and ministry in a world where everything is always shifting… might we know our only firm foundation is found in you, and that is ok and that is more than enough for you to continue your work in the world.
Happy New Year!