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Pentecost 14 Isaiah
56:1,6-8 8/17/08
“My House”
It’s a natural inclination - only human. Even those of us who don’t actually
own our houses tend to refer to our abode as our house or my house. God can be
forgiven then for referring to the temple being rebuilt in Jerusalem after the
long exile as “My house”.
After all, God had gone an untold numbers of years without a house. He
identified and nurtured a people who would be His special children. He remained
with them, as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. His presence was
identified with the Ark of the Covenant which held the tablets of The Law He had
given to Moses.
Even after the Israelites had settled in the land He had promised, God’s
residence was only a tent. God directed the activities of His people from that
tent. He gave them judges and then kings to physically represent Him and lead
His people. The kings built palaces, but still God’s residence was a tent.
Finally, God directed Solomon in the building of His holy house - a permanent
home where people could come to worship Him. You can read a detailed
description of the temple in 1Kings 6. It must have been magnificent, even
over-whelming. It took thirty thousand men working in three shifts to harvest
the wood from trees grown in Tyre. There were also seventy thousand men who
transported the wood to Jerusalem and there were eighty thousand stone cutters
who prepared huge stone blocks for the foundation and walls.
The entire interior and its furnishings were covered in gold. Everything was of
the finest quality. God’s house must have been awesome. And why not, it’s
where God would live, actually be present, for His people for eons to come.
All the same, one could question God’s speaking of the temple as “My House”.
God didn’t pay for the building materials. He didn’t lift one plank into
place. He didn’t even do the maintenance on the temple or protect it when
invading armies attacked.
And attacked it was. The residence God calls, “My House” was built and
destroyed and rebuilt three times. It is the third temple in which Jesus found
people selling sacrificial animals which inspired Him to quote the Isaiah
passage that is part of our first lesson today, “for my house shall be called a
house of prayer”.
But, how the tone of these words changed between their being proclaimed by
Isaiah and their being exclaimed by Jesus.
In Isaiah God speaks with great joy about the prospect of having a residence
that will attract people from every nation. It will be a house of prayer for
all people. It will be the place where people come to worship the true God. It
will be the center that people come to to learn about God and how to serve Him.
However, over the five centuries between this rebuilding of the temple and
Jesus’ visit, things changed. The temple system became corrupt. The priests
used the temple to make money and exert power over God’s people. “My House” was
no longer a house of prayer for all people or a place where people could learn
of God’s love for them or seek His will.
In a sense, God had been evicted. And it wasn’t long after that (in 70AD) that
the temple was again destroyed, never to be rebuilt. Only one wall remains, the
“Wailing Wall” where Jews (and others) go to pray to this day.
I asked my Old Testament prof. once why Israel has not rebuilt the temple in the
years since it was established as a modern nation. He could not give me an
answer.
From a Christian perspective, of course, it’s perfectly understandable why God
has not directed the rebuilding of His House again. Christians believe that God
abides with them wherever they are. They build churches as houses for God. In
those houses of worship Christians sing God’s praise, teach about God’s love for
them, seek guidance and strength, then leave to serve Him in their lives.
Christians need to be careful though that they don’t repeat the error of
Israel. We must remember that even if it was an ancestor who dug the basement
and hammered nails the church was built for God.
We must remember that even if the decor, furnishings and implements were
purchased with money given to honor or memorialize someone special to us, these
articles were dedicated to God.
We must remember that even if it is money we put in an offering plate that pays
for fixing the roof, heating the building or paying the salaries of those who
serve in the church, it is God that makes it possible for us to have money to
give and it is meant to be used in His service.
We must remember above all else, that God considers St. Paul’s to be, “His
House” and we are “His people” called to do His will. This is true whether we
can trace our family’s membership back over a hundred fifty years or only to
last year. It is true whether we give hundreds or even thousands of dollars a
year to support the work of the church or only a few dollars. It is true
whether we spend most of our free time at church events or just warm a pew
irregularly. And it is true for all of us in between as well.
Churches that grow and have vital, exciting ministries are that way because they
are very aware that it is God’s House and God’s ministry. They seek to make His
House a place of prayer for all people. They spend time learning who God is and
what He has done. They meditate on His word to find out His will for them both
individually and corporately. They joyfully accept that they are God’s people,
created to do His will in all aspects of their lives.
All of this starts from and builds on hearing deep within our hearts God’s word,
“My House shall be called a house of prayer.”
I started out questioning God’s “right” to speak of the temple (or the church)
as “My House” when He didn’t do the work or contribute the funds for its
building. Growing churches with vital ministries remember and remind their
members regularly, that all things belong to God and are meant to be used to His
glory.
Do we hear God saying that St. Paul’s is “My House” and do we hear Him calling
us, “My People”. Let us pray,
Holy and gracious God, forgive us for those times when we have forgotten that
St. Paul’s is Your House and that we are Your people called to do your will.
Help us remember that all that we have and are are yours. Give us the wisdom to
seek and do your will in all aspects of our lives. In Jesus name, we pray.
Amen
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