Foundations for the heavenly kingdom are constructed of two rock-like materials: (1) hearing the words of Jesus and (2) putting them into practice. In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus concludes His lengthy sermon with this emphatic statement: 'None of those who cry out, 'Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of God but only the one who does the will of my Father ...'

This Gospel brings to a stop all our work at remodelling and restoring the 'houses' of our Christian lives. Our teacher and designing architect, Jesus, questions us on whether we are fulfilling his building specifications. Jesus' concern is not with the incidentals of design and detail traditional or contemporary. Rather, Jesus examines and tests the foundations upon which we build our lives. These foundations must be solid and rock-like. These foundations are constructed by hearing the words of Jesus and putting them into practice.

Advent offers the opportunity for examining the foundations of our lives. Today's prophetic passage conveys confidence in God as the source and the builder of salvation: 'We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks'.