Happy are they who dwell in your house! they will always praise you. (Psalm 84:3)
We hear “Happy are they who dwell in the house of the Lord!” Psalm 84:4. King Solomon and the people of Israel and Judah were happy. Construction was done and they were moving the arch of the covenant into the temple.
God’s dwelling place was a tent from the time God liberated Israel from slavery and given them the Commandments. Dwelling in a tent symbolized God’s commitment to be with the people wherever they went and wherever life took them. Unlike other gods, the God of Israel, was not bound by geography or yoked to a dynasty. The one true God who chose Israel, moved from place to place with them and counseled their leaders of for a reason. God blessed them in order to demonstrate to the world the benefits of belief. The people maintained and moved the tent generation after generation. The tent, God’s presence, went with them as they journeyed through the wilderness. It went with them into battles. It was with them as they settled in land they would claim. God presence dwelt with in a tent during the reigns of kings Saul and David and the insurrection of prince Absalom. God allowed to build a temple and agreed to dwell in it’s sanctuary. On moving day, Solomon proclaimed
O God of Israel, there is no God like you…keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart,…let your word be confirmed…Hear and respond to…your people Israel when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven your dwelling place; hear, heed and forgive. Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name —for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm from us —when a foreigner comes and prays toward your presence in (sic) this house, listen to them and respond from heaven (sic), and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you… 1 Kings 8:11, 41-43
Solomon’s proclamation is part prayer and part creed. He prayed for God to hear and respond to believers. Solomon also makes three confessional statements. First, God’s real dwelling place is heaven. Second, the temple is a tool to facilitate faith in and reliance on God. Third, God cares for (listens to) everyone. The temple was like phone booths of old and cellphones today. The temple was a means to know and be known by God. God chose Israel so people throughout the world would “hear of God’s great name, mighty hand, and outstretched arm.” The temple was a new tool, but its purpose was the old original purpose given when God chose Israel. The purpose or vocation of Israel was to receive God’s blessings so they could be a blessing. “Happy are they who dwell in God’s house! They will always praise God.”
Does coming to church do for you what it did for Solomon and the people of Israel? Does seeking God in this temple allow you to know and be known by God? Does worship empower you to make God’s “great name, mighty hand, and outstretched arm” known? Episcopal churches, like the temple built by Solomon are tools. Tools to equip us to fulfill our vocation. Tools to empower us to pursue and fulfill our purpose. Like the people of Israel, we are chosen for a reason. At baptism we are chosen by God and marked as Christ’s own forever to blessed and to be a blessing. We are fed by the Word of God read and preached. We are fed by Christ’s body and blood at Communion. God feeds us in Word and Sacrament to bless us and equip us to be a blessing to others. The builds we inherited and maintain are tools; tools to strengthen us to love and serve the Lord. Paul directed the Christians in Ephesus to
Put on the whole armor of God…fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Attending church services and maintaining church buildings and church ministries are not the objective or end goal of our faith. All people who believe in the one true God are expected to witness. We are blessed so that we can be a blessing.
Witnessing is not easy. When the dismissal is pronounced at the end of service, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,” we leave this place and enter into battles. Natural disasters brought resulting from climate change, political polarization that invades our work places, schools, and families, threats posed by artificial intelligence and social media that confront us today are what Paul identified as “rulers, authorities, cosmic powers of darkness, and spiritual forces of evil.” In order to minimize the threats and maximize the benefits of technology, in order to foster respect and civility in politics, in order to restore and preserve “this fragile earth our island home” our studies and worship in church must bless us so that we can bless others.
When we come into God’s house and gather in God’s name to worship we can and should expect comfort and consolation. When we come into God’s house and gather in God’s name to worship we can and should expect peace and perspective. When we come into God’s house and gather in God’s name we must also expect to be strengthen and equip to build the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. When you enter this or any other house of God’s, be ready and willing to receive the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit, and whatever style shoe let you walk the Good News of God in Jesus Christ into every and any circumstance. The gear issued during church is stronger than the guns, bombs, helmets and flax jackets issued by the military. The gear acquired when you hear the Word of God read and preached is more effective than respirators, hazmat suits and decontamination tents issued by emergency management agencies. The gear dispensed when you consume the body and blood of Christ are more protective than the air vest worn by people who ride horses. Soldiers have and will make the ultimate sacrifice. Hazmat teams have and will suffer injuries and contract diseases. When equestrians fall they are rightfully concerned about whether the air tank will inflate the vests they wear to protect their spines and necks. Christians armed in worship need not worry. The full armor of Christ provides grace, mercy, forgiveness, redemption and eternal life. Protection no earthly gear offers.
Happy are we who dwell in the house of the Lord! When you are dismissed from worship “to love and serve the Lord” go forth with praise on your lips and praise in your actions so that the people who see your good works give thanks to God who is in heaven.
