“God’s Temple in Las Cruces”        2012

1 Kings 8:27-30                    1 Corinthians 3:16-4:2

 

1 Kings 8:27-30

27“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built! 28Regard your servant’s prayer and his plea, O Lord my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you today; 29that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may heed the prayer that your servant prays toward this place. 30Hear the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place; O hear in heaven your dwelling place; heed and forgive.

 

1 Corinthians 3:16-4:2

16Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. 18Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, 23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. 4Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. 2Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.

 

There is an article in Time magazine this week,

            that according to a recent study,  “The fastest growing religious group in the U.S. is the category of people who say they have no religious affiliation.”[i]

 

But what really caught my attention was that

            less than 3% of that group   claim to be atheist or agnostic,

                        and for the most part, they believe in God but yet   have

                                   no connection with any faith community or church.

 

            According to the author, it’s not a lack of spiritual hunger

                        or that they don’t want to be part of a faith community.

In the study, a full 40% said they hope

            that eventually they will find the right religious home ---

                   -- but so far haven’t been able to connect because

                           they find organized religion too rigid and dogmatic.

 

How ironic to have heard a similar observation just last week,

            when the professor of comparative religion at the university

                        invited me to speak to his class about Presbyterians.

 

As you might expect, my focus was on God’s saving grace and love,

            and how that defines and over time  refines our Christian life

                        àas a faithful response to what Jesus has accomplished.

 

Then one of the students asked me,

            that if it’s really true about God’s grace and love,

                        then why are the Christians he sees in the news

                                    usually so angry and upset, so harsh and judgmental                                      about the sins and failures of others?

                        As he put it, “If churches and Christians are really

                              about God’s love and grace, then why don’t I see it?”

 

That’s a great question.

            My first answer was,

                        that we are still sinners, and that God is still at work.

Sometimes we care about things that we see and know are wrong,

            and in our eagerness and passion to fix them,

                        we forget or ignore that God also loves those other folks

                                    even    those who oppose us or are obstacles in our way.

 

The truth is, living within good relationships isn’t always easy.

            In addition, our American style of Christianity,

                        has tended to be too private and too individualistic,

                             … just me and my personal Jesus,  with too littleà                                                                               àemphasis on the common life of faith we share.

 

The idea that my faith is entirely private and personal,

            or that I can be a Christian without being connect to others,

                        is not the life of discipleship Jesus described,

                                    and would make no sense to Paul, who wrote: vs. 16~17

            ”Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? … For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.“

 

I find it remarkably ironic that this passage

            is often taken as an individual prohibition against

                        smoking, drinking, drugs or eating too many tacos;

          though that’s totally inconsistent with what Paul intended.

 

In the original Greek, the form of the word, “you”,

            is specifically plural and not individual or singular.

Paul is saying to the whole church in Corinth,

            “surely you know  that all of you are   a temple, and thatà

                   God’s Spirit dwells among you, all of you together.”

 

In this passage, he is not suggesting

            that individual Christians   become little temples of God.

Paul’s letter to the Christians living in Corinth deals with

            a different and over-riding theme, and one central issue.

                    The church in Corinth was  being torn apart

                              with conflicts and terribly destructive disunity.

 

Exasperated over their petty jealousies over favorite preachers,

           Paul writes to them, “I am glad I didn’t baptize any of you.”

There were also divisions between the rich and the poor,

            the slaves and the free-born, Jews and gentiles,

                        between men and women, who was allowed to speak,

                                    even what foods Christians could eat,

                                                over wearing a hat and the length of their hair.

 

Paul’s message is that when we gather as Christians,

          something special happens among us, we the body of Christ …

… as in our gathering for Christian worship, fellowship & service

            we combine and become God’s temple …

                                      … a place, a body of God’s presence and grace à

àas Jesus promised in Matthew 18:20

      For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.

 

Not so much as individuals, but when we assemble as Christians,

            we are being built together into the temple of our living God…

                          … no longer separate, but members of the body of Christ.

 

So we don’t really go to church, but by faith we become the church;

            as by grace and the transforming presence of God

                    we become something far greater than just our own selves.

 

As I explained to the university student, we are still in process

            of being transformed according to God’s grace and purpose…

                        then I offered this example of a change   by God’s love.

 

I described to the class an instance of a couple of church members

            who had some very bitter and angry resentments between them.

But unexpectedly, one time after a worship service,

            they had made an honest and willing effort

                        to seek reconciliation and forgiveness, and try

                                    to let go and move beyond their destructive past…

   … and that was a God-thing ---- God’s grace put into action.

 

Relationships are not always easy, but when we gather in faith,

          God’s presence and Holy Spirit can change things, and us.

 

On the practical side,

            when we listen, together we can make better decisions.

                        combined, we are strengthen to accomplish much more.

                                    diversity, brings in more ideas and viewpoints

                                                which enables us to respond better to change.

working together builds stronger relationships of trust,

            puts more resources in play to help resolve our problems,

                 and we learn to appreciate others despite our differences.

                       

Now this doesn’t come easily or naturally for us,

          but our infinite God    works in unexpected and hidden ways.

I remember noticing that truth about the Lord when

            I went to the General Assembly during seminary to help out.

 

I arrived pretty sure and adamant

            that my opinions and the way I viewed the issues were                                                                                    righteous and faithful interpretations of Scripture.

            I was equally certain that those who disagreed,

                        were choosing to ignore the clear word of God.

 

But as we sat in meetings and worked together,

            I was stunned to hear the genuineness of their prayers,

                        and that clearly Scripture did matter to them …

            … even when their interpretation and emphasis took them

                        to a different place and other conclusions than mine.

 

Thought we certainly disagreed in significant ways,

            yet I could see that they did seek to follower Jesus Christ,

                        and they were trying to serve and obey faithfully ----

-- which confused me greatly,

                   and complicated my thinking and assumptions about them.

 

It was one thing to oppose and distrust them as godless pagans,

            and quite another

                        to acknowledge them as brothers and sisters in Christ,

                                    as equally loved and valued children of God, 

                                                even if we didn’t agree on all the issues.

 

That truth meant that Jesus had commanded me to love them,

            and perhaps even listen to them and consider their ideas,

                        though I may be sure and convinced

                                    that I have it right and they are certainly wrong.

 

Here’s the great challenge with that ----

            if indeed Jesus is Lord, my Lord,

                        then He must rule, and His will must be first,

                                    even before my most heartfelt opinions and ideas.

          That commandment, “to love one another as I have loved you”,

                   isn’t restricted to just those with whom I agree.

 

If Jesus is Lord, then only Jesus can be my Lord,

            which means that all my other stuff cannot ---

                        --- not even my best opinions and absolute certainties;

                             which can surely supplant Jesus as Lord over my all.

 

If Jesus is my Lord, and is over all else,

            then I must believe and trust that God will prevail,

                        and that the work and purpose of God’s Kingdom

                                    does not rest or depend entirely on me, alone.

 

If Jesus is my Lord, and is over all else,

            that calls me to listen and consider the opinions of others,

                        as through our discussion,  we wait upon God to reveal.

And rather than harshness or anger if I don’t get my way,

            it’s trust, hope and confidence that God will accomplish.

 

Our church faces some new and difficult challenges these days.

       The world around us has changed,  it’s more diverse out there…

               … which means we have to be more diverse & welcoming in here,

    à if we are going to proclaim and reach that new world

                   with the unchanging truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

So, let’s think about and consider why we are here,

          a church family and worshipping community of faith.

In a nutshell,

            we come to connect with God,         to experience His love and grace,

                        to ask and receive forgiveness and hope,

                                    and to hear God’s word and guidance for life.

                                   

As a church community and a family of faith,

  this is where God’s call and our gifts are recognized & affirmed,

                        where we can serve, sacrifice and make a difference

                             by being useful, meaningful, effective and faithful,

                                      becoming who God created and intended us to be.

 

There was a little group of Presbyterians, mostly retired,

            meeting in an old abandoned chapel,

                        and getting a retired pastor or nearby chaplain

                                    to preach and lead their Sunday worship …

                                                            … and it was working pretty well for them.

 

But some of the folks thought they ought to be doing more,

            and so after worship one Sunday,

                        they held a meeting to discuss and decide the future.

 

Should they commit to calling a minister and build a building,

            should they try to grow and make difference in the community …

                                                            … or play it safe and remain as they were?                    

 

They talked for a long time about it,  how much it would cost,

            and how difficult it would be to accomplish such a task.

                        For many it seemed far too much to ask,

                                    and they were against taking on

                                                all the extra sacrifice and hard work …

… and questioned the others saying,

            “Our worship is meeting our needs, so why take such a risk,

                        especially when what we are doing is working so well?”

 

Then, one of the women stood up, stared at them for a moment,

            then challenged the group, “But where is your faith?” ---

--- that changed the whole meeting and they began to make plans.

            And a few months later, I became their first fulltime pastor.

 

In our world and this local community

            starving for God’s love, peace, joy and grace,

                        we are called to be God’s temple – a sacred place & space,

                                    for equipping God’s people to go back out

                                                and reflect God’s truth and grace to the world-

 

-- to be a people and place of hospitality, warmth and welcome,

                        where all of God’s children          can experience

                                    the embrace of God’s love and healing purpose,

                                                where the truth that Jesus is Lord is lived

                                                            as we grow deeper in our faith and service.

 

So for the spiritually hungry, the lonely and the outcast,

            if they come to 1^st Presbyterian Church in Las Cruces,

                    what  will they find here, and will they receive hope?

And are we willing to commit,   to change and sacrifice

          so that we are God’s faithful temple,   here in Las Cruces?

    ”Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? … For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”