I was born in a farmhouse.  I'm told it happened in the night in the downstairs guest room, and the doctor came to our house.  A few weeks later, my Dad paid the doctor his fee - $20.  I'd guess it costs $20,000 today.  Our house was built around 1915-20 probably from a kit ordered from Sears Roebuck.  Dad and Mom bought the farm and house in 1937 and lived there 40 years until they sold the farm to my brother.  For 10 years my nephew lived in it but then he bought a house in town.  Now that old house is falling down.  I think it started doing that while we still lived there, because it never was very sturdy.  Its foundation crumbled and the floors always sagged. The last time I saw it, the old house was empty and beyond repair.  I don't think I ever want to go back to see it again.

          On this earth, nothing is permanent.  No house, no matter how well we build it, can withstand the ravages of time.  No business, no matter how well we manage it, can withstand the winds of economic change.  And no man or woman, no matter how well we care for ourselves, can keep from getting old.  On this earth, everything eventually faces the wrecking ball.  We need to be ready for it and use our time well until that day.  The way to readiness in life is by faith in Jesus, by trusting that He is our Lord.  If we build our lives on Jesus, we are promised a new home, a heavenly mansion that will never fall down.

          Growing up with black and white television in the 1950's, we used to enjoy watching "Hit Parade."  It was a great program that featured the latest songs sung by Giselle Mackenzie, Snookey Lanson, Dorothy Collins, and the Hit Parade dancers.  The program was a hit until Rock 'n Roll came along.  Songs like "Shrimp Boats Are A-Coming", and "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window" couldn't keep up with Elvis Presley or Buddy Holly.  One memorable song was written by Shakin' Stevens, and popularized by Rosemary Clooney.  It was called, "This Old House."  Allow me to refresh your memory or to give you a glimpse of what we used to listen to:

"THIS OLD HOUSE"  
This old house is gettin' shaky, This old house is gettin' old;
This old house has seen the rain, This old house has seen the cold.
 
Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer, Ain't a-gonna need this house no more.
Ain't got time to fix the shingles, Ain't got time to fix the floor,
Ain't got time to oil the hinges, Nor to mend the windowpane.
Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer, He's gettin' ready to meet the saints!

          Now I hate to admit my ignorance, but all these years I thought that song was about a rickety old house that was falling down.  I could almost see the holes in the roof and the screen door hanging on one hinge.  But "This Old House" is about a person's life, and how it's all temporary and falling apart.  That became clear with the words of another verse: "Oh his knees are gettin' chilly, But he feels no fear or pain, 'Cause he sees an angel peepin', Through a broken window pane."

          In other words, this old house of life is falling down - it's not going to last.  An aged St. Paul would like that song because it agrees with his words in today's Bible text.  Like last week's text, it's all about looking at life realistically.

          You see, this world we live in doesn't appear the same to everyone.  To each of us, it looks different, depending on who we are.  To the young, the world is big and new and amazing.  To the middle aged, it is busy, challenging and hard work.  To the old, this world is a place of weariness and confusion.  And to all of us, the world is fading away.  But we don't like to think about that, at least those of us who aren't sitting in a nursing home.  Folks in there think about it a lot.

          In this text Paul says our body is like a tent.  It gives us little protection and can't endure much abuse.  It flaps in the wind, gets torn and leaky, and fails us at all the wrong times.  So Paul assures us, "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."

          This body of ours is only temporary.  Praise God there's a newer and better model coming!  This old house is good for a lifetime, but then no more.  That's it!  We're going to get a new one, one that by God's grace will last forever.

          This past week I had two funerals, one of a member and the other the spouse of a member.  Both were fairly young by today's standards.  One died from cancer, the other from a sudden heart attack.  Both of them were tents in which eternal souls lived, and their tents gave out earlier than expected.

          I have a feeling there are some out there right now who might be thinking, "What's going on, Pastor?  Feeling old?"  I guess burying two people younger than me got me to thinking.  What is this life made up of?  Is it not just a tent we live in, a temporary shelter like one of those trailers brought in after Hurricane Katrina?  Will life ever get better, or is this as good as it gets?

          I don't care what age we are, it's good we keep in mind that life is temporary.  However bad or good we have it, the Good Lord has something for us that's a whole lot better.  In Christ there is an eternal house waiting for each of us, on a day not far off.  We need to trust Him and keep our eyes on the cross.  That's where He earned heaven for us.  We must never take our eyes off Jesus.

          Our Heavenly Father is watching over us all the time.  He sees us work and play.  He cheers us on in our struggles, and encourages us through good words and good people.  Last week we heard, "Don't lose heart!"  Our glass is not half empty.  In Christ, it's full and running over.

          Life doesn't last, but God does.  His love endures forever.  There's no end to it.  The house of God's love is snug and safe and has room for everyone, no matter who we are or what we look like.  God's new house doesn't creak and groan in the wind or leak during the rainstorm.  The house of God's love never grows old or falls down.  There are no payments, no upkeep and all the people inside are good to each other.  God's house is built for us just the way we like it, and all it needs is you and me, Christ's people, to live there.  One day, by His grace, we'll all take our places there.

          I want a piano in the new house, and I want to sing in a choir there.  And I want the new house filled with people who laugh at my old jokes.  I want to see friends there, beloved members, precious family, old friends as well as new ones.  This new house doesn't have what I have here.  God's new house doesn't bad news, or old grudges or weariness.  This new house will never have all the junk that filled this old house.  Best of all, it's going to be filled with our loved ones, the old ones and the new ones.  That's why I preach the Gospel to you.  This old house is falling down, but God's new house is being built, prepared for us in the heavens.  Praise God for that!

          We're all tired of the old house.  Praise the Lord, because in Christ, the new one will be beautiful and perfect.  No need to change anything, not even the furniture.  I pray you're all there with me, amen!

Copyright © 2006 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.