- 2 Samuel 7:1-14a
- Psalm 84 (VU p. 800)
- Ephesians 2:11-22
- #325 Christ is Made the Sure Foundation (tune 240)
- #579 The Church Is Wherever God’s People
- MV#1 Let Us Build a House (on insert)
- #427 To Show by Touch and Word
Early Thoughts: What do we mean when we talk about the the church as "the House of God"? How do we build the House of God?
David had grand dreams. David has pacified and united the nation and so he wants to leave a legacy. And what better legacy than to build a grand house for the God who has led the people to freedom, who has led David to victory. Even Nathan, the prophet of God, says it is a good thing to do.
But God has another idea. God is dubious about the need for the house. People are more important says God. And so I will build a house of flesh says God. As the scriptural story continues the house of flesh is passed on through the generation of kingdom and exile and return until one arises as a "branch from the stump of Jesse" in Jesus of Nazareth. And as people who bear the name Christian we are, in part inheritors of that house too. If God has built a house of flesh then who is in it? The people of God.
And now we have to think about what it means to claim our identity as members of the House of God. Are we part of the structure or the decor? Are we a stud or a joist or a rafter? Do we support the rest of the house or soar into the skies? And even more important, how do we help the house become stronger? How do we help with the maintenance and renovations and additions that come with time?
--Gord
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