A few years ago, a hurricane was bearing down on New Jersey. For those

of us who had lived here for a long time, this was a rather unique

event. A major storm projected to make landfall on the coast of our

state was unsettling and we didn’t quite know what to expect. When the

storm hit, it did unbelievable damage: blowing homes from their

foundations and creating more destruction than we had ever seen. Jesus

uses the picture of a catastrophic storm to sum up His sermon. Just like

Superstorm Sandy, Jesus talks about the storms of life beating against

the lives we’ve built. His point is that what we choose to do with what

He’s said is the difference between weathering the storm or collapse. In

painting this picture, He directs all of us to go beyond just thinking

about what He has taught. Instead, we are called to live in response to

Jesus’ words. And the choice we make on this issue decides whether we

stand or fall.