SANDCASTLES

A meditation by the Rev. Dr. James G. Kirk

Harundale Presbyterian Church

Glen Burnie, Maryland

June 2, 2002

Text: “a foolish man who built his house on sand.” (Matthew 7:26)

First Reading: Psalm 46

Second Reading: Romans 1:16-17, 3:22b-28

First some history. In the state of Oregon there are only 26 miles of coastline that are privately owned. All the rest is state parks and open to the public. Long ago the authorities were very aware of what a valuable asset their coastline was, how beautiful it is and took the necessary steps to protect it from development.

Now it just so happens that years ago a person who shall remain unnamed became aware that a lot on that pristine coastline was for sale. That unnamed party could own a piece of the 26 miles of coastline that would be private. Think of the view from twenty-five feet up a sand dune that looked out over the entire Pacific Ocean! The deal was too good to pass up and if the person didn’t act quickly someone else would surely come along and snatch it up.

It was not long after the purchase was made that the new owner received a registered letter from the homeowner’s association informing him that he and all of his neighbors were going to be assessed a $10,000 fee for rip-rapping. Now, being from California, he had no idea what rip rapping was or what it was for. It seemed as though there was a threat to his property, since the ocean was claiming its ground, and that it would be necessary to protect his property from such encroachment through the use of a bulkhead of huge rocks that would supposedly contain his property from receding into the ocean. Of course, as the letter went on, there was no guarantee that such rip rapping would be a success, but the more people that joined the effort would hopefully produce the desired results.

The check was sent and time went by. Soon, another registered letter came, this time from the Department of Natural Resources. It seemed as though the hoped for results from the $10,000 bulkhead had not occurred and that the surf was merely crashing over the rocks and undermining the property. Already there was a twenty-foot gap at the base of the dune and it would be necessary for the owner to cordon off at least twenty-five feet from the water’s edge of his property, since it was proclaimed a natural hazard. Someone could stand at the edge, have the sand give way from under her and she could fall onto the rocks and receive serious injury.

Needless to say, a trip was made to the property, the hazardous portion of the dune was roped off and the necessary compliance was sent back to the Department of Natural Resources. To make a long story short, the property was eventually given to the sons who immediately sold it and got whatever profit there was from the sale.

Now, along comes the Psalm for this morning that provides a perfect counterpoint to the lesson in Matthew. We hear how, “God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble.” There’s no need for rip rapping. “Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change.” Well, the earth certainly was changing. “Though its waters roar and foam.” There certainly was much roaring and foaming going on. The waves would hit the big boulders, built as a supposedly solid bulkhead against the ocean’s encroachment, and only enhance its erosive force against the palisade. There was seemingly nothing that could stop the water’s force.

The psalmist continues. “Be still and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.” Every one of us has a story of how we’ve been lured by the enticements of quick pleasure. Time and again we seem to cast our fortunes on the slippery slopes of shifting sands rather than taking the time to set our sights on the bedrock of more faithful ventures. Time and again we’ve come to realize how it’s been the God we proclaim who’s ultimately been our refuge and our strength.

Psalm 121 has that well-known reminder, “I lift up mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved, he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep…The Lord will keep you from all evil. He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and for evermore.” How would it have been if, instead of the proper warning the Department of Natural Resources wanted, the sign read, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved.” I don’t think the Department of Natural Resources would have accepted those words as the proper warning they were seeking on the ocean view property in Oregon.

The lesson remains. The view may be breathtaking. The property values may be sure to go up. The lure and the enticements may be too tempting to withstand. Yet, if the venture is nothing more than built on the slippery slopes of shifting sands, then it’s best to cast our fortunes on the bedrock of faith. There we’re sure to have a God with a history of providing refuge and strength, “a very present help in trouble.”

Thanks be to God,

Amen