This scripture points out to us
that we only have ourselves to offer to God as a temple, a sanctuary. That the
actual buildings we designate as our altars are nothing close to the offering
God requires. That it is simply impossible for our earthly creations to reflect
the image of God the way we humans can if we truly follow God’s path.
Jesus cries out to his disciples
that buildings are not lasting offerings to God, that they will be reduced to
rubble in the end, when he says, “Do you
see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all
will be thrown down.” His apocalyptic warning to the disciples is this stark
reality: nothing that man builds that will last. Think of, for example, the amazing
finds of ancient buildings that archaeologists or even excavators run across
that are long disappeared from our line of sight, buried under dirt and rubble
of centuries racing by.
He is trying to get us to see that we
are the temple. Our lives are the temple. Not any building, but rather
the bones and flesh of the congregation, which we call the Body of Christ.
We. are. an. offering. Our lives build
the 'church' and keep it strong.
But we fail to deliver that
offering. We fear the commitment of fully laying our lives on the line to be
used for God's purposes. It's much easier to hide or ignore than to throw ourselves in
front of the cross and say, "God, I am yours. Use me as you will."
What are the building materials we
are asked to provide for the village? Adding new carpet and projection and attractive
hardwood altar areas is nice, but remember Jesus' words when he says it will
all be torn down in the end. So,
with that in mind, what building materials are needed for this village? How can we, ourselves, be the building
materials God needs? Do we
have what it takes to build Christ's kingdom in this place?
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