The Good Underground--June 9, 2022
"If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire." [1 Corinthians 3:14-15]
So... true story. A few years ago, one of the congregations where I serve was having problems with water leaking in a corner of our church basement. The corner where we happen to have our elevator... the same corner which supposedly also has an underground spring of water... the same corner where we have had problems with joints in the gutters up on the roof. We had any number of complicating factors we thought could be contributing to the water problem. And in the process of investigating it, some professionals took a look at the poured concrete walls underground at the corner of the building, and they found that the concrete itself had not been properly mixed and poured in the first place when the building's footers were being set, well over a century before.
As you might imagine, that was a pretty scary prospect for the leaders of the congregation--we were wondering if the corner of the building was in danger of collapse, or whether the whole underground support structure of the building would have to be excavated. And along with that, we were worried whether the costs of fixing this problem that had sat waiting to reveal itself would consume the church's savings, as well as whether the congregation would support the decision pay whatever those costs would be. It is easier, after all, to mobilize people's support for a project they can see and understand the value of--like an addition of rooms, or the installation of a new organ or piano, or a renovated kitchen. But replacing concrete that's hidden underground where nobody would ever notice a difference? That is decidedly less glamorous.
Blessedly, the congregation and its leaders had the wisdom of Saint Paul at the time. They knew that it was worth doing the hidden work of repairing the walls, having fresh concrete properly poured, and keeping the building on a solid footing for the generations to come. We told ourselves in those days, "This is our gift to future disciples and members of this congregation in the future--they will not have to deal with a catastrophe in the future because we were able to catch this now, before it has become a crisis, and to deal with it now." Of course, those future saints in this place decades from now won't know our names or likely even realize what we did for them. They won't know because there won't be a disaster, and they won't have to see their building sink into the ground, or start to lean. They won't have to face an astronomical repair bill because this generation of their church family took the time, the treasure, and the thought to make things right in our time.
And to be honest, just knowing that the children, grandchildren, and future disciples yet to come to faith in this place will have a building in which to do ministry, that was all we needed. Nobody wanted a parade or a plaque on the wall to commemorate the great basement-wall-repair-project of 2019, and nobody needed a cash reward or framed certificate. The thought of helping our future congregation to thrive because we had made the effort now to do the job right was enough. That's all we really needed, and it wouldn't matter that nobody in the distant future would know what had been done to fix things.
I think that's the logic we're called to as the people of God as well, even when we're not talking about physical buildings. We're called to use the time, treasure, energy, and resources we have to build well even if our work isn't glamorous, or even noticeable. We are called to see the worth of our work in helping things to stand strong, rather than to collapse because we didn't want to put in the effort for something nobody would notice. We are called to care enough about those who will come after us in faith to do our work well. And when you do something for the sake of love like that, the hope of making their lives better, even if they never know what you've done for them, is enough. You don't need a paycheck, a statue, a medal, or a ceremony to reward you. The good done for those you care about is the reward, because love has its own logic that the world of deal-making and attention-seeking just cannot understand.
Now, none of this is to say that the church folks a hundred years ago, give or take, weren't genuine Christians, or that they weren't truly saved, because they let a church basement wall get constructed without properly set concrete. We don't strike their names from the membership list just because it was in their time a century ago that somebody didn't mix cement the right way. It just means that the work our predecessors oversaw didn't last--so we in this moment had to deal with it. Those who went before us are indeed beloved of God, and we will one day laugh and joke and tell stories around the table with them at God's Great Resurrection Feast. You can't lose your salvation over a matter of poorly mixed concrete, after all. But the work done in that earlier time just didn't last--we had to tear out the bad wall and put in a new one.
So, too, we need to be clear that Paul isn't threatening anyone with hellfire or losing their salvation if the work they do has some poorly mixed concrete in it. He isn't warning us that if our accomplishments in life don't last, then we'll be cast into some outer darkness. Rather, he's reminding us that while God's grip on us in grace is sure and unshakable, our actions and choices still do matter. And we do have the opportunity to use our time, treasure, talent, and thought either to contribute to things that last... or they'll crumble and will have to be ripped out so that something solid can be built instead.
As far as the apostle Paul is concerned, nobody is going to find themselves at the gates of heaven and turned away because their work wasn't up to code or their labor didn't hold up. It's not about your work, your goodness, your badness, or your religiosity anyway. We're all saved by grace, completely from beginning to end, every day of the week, and that not just a six-month trial offer for new customers. All our lives long, our works, accomplishments, achievements, and list of infractions do not enter the equation as far as God's view of us. God loves us, claims us, and redeems us by grace and grace alone... end of story. And yet at the same time, what we do with our lives does make a difference--and either our life's work can be a gift to others around us or who come after us... or it can be a hidden mess waiting to become a disaster, like malformed church basement walls. The question, then, for every day is simply this: what will you and I do with this day, this opportunity, this life for as long as we have it, to do lasting good in the world? And we can ask that question simply for the sake of what is really worth doing with our lives, not with the constant fear of whether we are doing "enough" or being "good" enough to get into some post-mortem country club. When we know we are secure in God's hands, then we are free to do good for others regardless of whether we get noticed, praised, or honored for it. We can be the ones who take the time and effort to rebuild the basement walls for future generations, just as an act of love and care for those who will come after us. And we don't need to worry about whether anybody else sees what we've done, or whether God is taking notice and giving us the appropriate "heaven points" for it, either--there are no points to worry about, and this isn't about getting ourselves "saved." It's just the opposite--it's about how we are freed to live looking out for the interests of others because we are finally done worrying about whether we've done "enough."
So... with this day in front of us, what will we do that is worth doing... whether someone else sees it, or even your dedication and care for others remains good but is hidden underground? What can we do in this day now that we know we are freed from worrying about being "good enough"?
Lord God, enable us to use our freedom and assurance in you to do good with the time and energy we have been given in this day.
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