Pentecost 15a - conclusion

I’ve been watching a Habitat for Humanity house being built in the Sundance Square parking lot where my truck spends some time. Habitat for Humanity is supported by the Fund for Humanity which operates with the understanding that “what the poor need is not charity but capital, not caseworkers but co-workers. And what the rich need is a wise, honorable and just way of divesting themselves of their overabundance.” Habitat, begun in 1976 with Millard and Linda Fuller’s idea for affordable housing, shelters more than 2 million humans (and I imagine pets as well) in over 400,000 houses built by people of every race, color and creed working together to do something significant for someone else. Ezekiel imagines a world where children are not punished for the sins of parents but turning from their own sin live within a new heart and a new spirit. The psalmist sings of God who remembers mercy but is forgetful of youthful sins and perhaps hopes we will do the same. The ancient hymn of the church sings of Jesus who was in every way God but chose to live in our flesh and die our death so we could live His life. And like the son who said “no” but then lived “yes” I imagine the people in hard hats and matching t-shirts feel a little bit better about themselves and the world we inhabit together by pounding a few nails in a Habitat that will house humans they most likely will never meet.