John Koza

Dear Friends in Christ, 

The gospel reading for today is Matthew 7: 24-27.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”

So how do we “build our house on rock?”  A rock provides a firm foundation, which is where the strength lies for everything placed upon it. I think for us, as people of God, it means creating a firm foundation in community.

Perhaps you have read about, or heard about “super-agers?”

These are folks who age well into their ‘80’s and ‘90’s. And who doesn’t want to age well?Research has shown that, yes, genes, diet, and exercise are important factors, but the most important factor is involvement within a community.

The obvious community in this context is Saint Philip’s.

Consider all the possibilities there are to be involved within the community of Saint Philip’s. You can volunteer as an usher, help cook in the kitchen for breakfast on the first Sunday of the month. You can assist with Youth Education, sing in the choir, serve on the Altar Guild, become a Lay Eucharistic Minister, attend Wednesday evening Mosaic. There are several weekly formations for Bible study, and several book groups. In short, the possibilities are numerous.

Matthew tells us to build our house on rock. And I encourage you to “rock on at Saint Philip’s!”

Your fellow traveler,

—John