September 17th

Temples

            What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

2 Corinthians 6:16-18

           

            Buildings have purposes.  No one goes through the time and effort and cost of construction without knowing what the building will be used for.  Function is actually a central consideration in the design and layout of a building.  Who will use it?  What will they use it for?  These are the questions that are asked over and over again in the construction of a new building.

            If we are God’s temples, what does that say about how we have been constructed?  A temple is where worship happens.  It is where the spirit of God lives among His people.  It is where God speaks to His children and where His children speak to Him.  The temple’s primary function is to facilitate relationship between the Almighty and His children.

            That does not feel like the function that my body usually pursues.  My body is more likely to be washing dishes or giving a child a bath or writing or hammering out spreadsheets or driving or preparing dinner instead of serving as a center of worship.  I can get there if I really discipline my mind and set up all kinds of reminders through my day that every moment is an opportunity to worship and be in relationship with God.  It is hard, but it is a possibility.

            What about for our kids?  Many times, their bodies are not just obstacles, they are actively fighting against our children.  Their senses are ringing alarms.  Their guts are rejecting whatever has been given to them.  Organs are malfunctioning.  Brain chemicals are firing at the wrong time.  Sleep does not come easily and rest is even harder to find.  How in the world are these supposed to be temples of the Most High God?

            And yet, God says that this is where He resides.  And I wonder if that residence is deeper than we know.  I wonder if there is a place deep down in the soul where the spirit of God meets the spirit of our children and abides with them.  Deeper than conscious thought.  Deeper than nerve endings and autoimmune responses and reflexes.  Deeper than feelings and emotions.  What if those are the outer layers of the onion that is us and the temple is at the core?  What if at the center of their being, our kids hang out with God constantly and we just cannot see it because we are operating on the surface levels of speech and action?

            The Temple in Jerusalem was divided into different areas that were roughly concentric circles.  The outer courts were filled with people and noise and chaos.  The inner courts were places of ritual and ceremony.  In the center lay the holy of holies.  It was still and silent and the presence of God lay heavy in that space.  Could that be true of us and of our children as well?

            He will be our God.  We shall be His people.  He will live and dwell among us as we are His temples.

A moment to reflect:

Spend a few moments in imaginative prayer.  Visualize yourself as a temple.  What is the Holy of Holies in the center like?  What does God say to you there?