Church of the Holy City

But Will God Dwell on Earth?

But Will God Dwell on Earth?
Rev. Dr. David J. Fekete
July 21, 2013

2 Samuel 7:1-17 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 Psalm 23

Does God need a magnificent temple to be honored in? Does God need elaborate rituals and grand ceremonies? When King David wanted to build God a magnificent temple of cedar, God told him,
Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” (2 Samuel 17:5-7).
No, God does not need pomp and grandeur in order to be honored.
God does promise King David, though, that David’s son shall build God a temple. But even when Solomon does finish building a temple to God, he recognizes that this mere house of cedar does not contain the vastness of God Himself. With humility, King Solomon says to God,
27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built! 28 Yet have regard to the prayer of thy servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, hearkening to the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prays before thee this day; 29 that thy eyes may be open night and day toward this house, (2 Kings 8:27-29).
The question arises, “For whom would we want to build such a temple?” King David compares the way the Ark of the Covenant is housed versus the way the king, himself, is housed. King David is living in a splendid palace of cedar, while the Ark of the Covenant is in a tent–in fact the Tabernacle constructed in the desert wanderings of the Israelites. Is the temple to glorify God? Or is the temple to glorify the king?
This is a live question, because God’s answer to David seems to pacify the King’s ego. God will not allow King David to build a house for God, but God will give David a great name and another type of house, an everlasting house. God tells David,
I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. . . . I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. . . . but I will not take[b] my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever (2 Samuel 7:9, 12-14, 15-16).
So David will have a legacy, the legacy he may be asking for when he wants to build God a temple. David is promised first, that he will have a great name. That must have pleased David. Then God promised David that his son will build God a temple. Finally, God promises David that his children will remain on the throne of Israel for ever. That, finally, is the house God will build for David. God says, “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me.”
I can’t but think that David is really asking about his legacy more than he is asking about honoring God. But I don’t think that ego is the only issue here. There is the issue of what Swedenborg calls “the externals of worship.” That term means the outer rituals and symbols of our worship. That term means the ceremonies with which we worship and the buildings in which we worship.
Here, Solomon seems to capture the essence of how we best use the externals of worship. Solomon acknowledges that God’ greatness far transcends the little temple he would build for God. But he humbly asks that God’s eyes, “may be open night and day toward this house” (2 Kings 8:29). What Solomon is saying is that God attend the worship that goes on in the temple. So Solomon realizes that God is everywhere, but that a special place in which we focus our thoughts on God is helpful. I think that it is helpful for us humans. I think that the final truth here is that it is helpful for us humans to have a place in which we can focus our thoughts on God, such as in a temple or a church.
It is helpful, but I don’t think necessary. When I was growing up in the late ’60′s and early ’70′s there was a lot of questioning and rebellion. Among the things we rebelled against were all forms of authority. This included our parents, the government, and the church. We had the notion that we didn’t need a priest, a minister, or even a church to find God. We could call on God everywhere and at any time. I recall the words to a song by one of my favorite bands back then named “Jethro Tull.” The song went like this, “I don’t believe you, you have the whole damn thing all wrong, He’s not the kind you have to wind up on Sunday.” So many of us abandoned organized religion back then, thinking that we could find God in our own hearts in our own place and time.
But maybe we went too far. I think that the legacy of the ’60′s was the abandonment of all forms of religion. All forms of what Swedenborg would call the externals of religion. When the church as an institution and the church as a place of worship are abandoned, it is easy to get lost spiritually. Without the weekly reminder of Sunday worship, what happens to a person’s prayer life? Without the weekly reminder of Sunday worship, what happens to conscience? Without the church structure and its symbols, do our internal feelings for God open? Amid the traffic and toil of the workaday world, do we still remain open to God?
I think that there is something to be said for the symbols of external worship. When I walk into a church, or a temple, a peacefulness comes over me. My head clears from the business and worry of day-to-day living. But this may be because I treat places and symbols of worship with holy care. I keep my holy places sacred in my own mind. I consciously leave my worldly concerns outside the church walls, so that when I enter the church, I am ready to let God in, and to let my own heart open up. This is how I interpret that commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. It doesn’t mean just go to church on Sunday. It means keep a holy place in our hearts for all that Sunday means. And that includes sacred spaces and the emotions and thoughts associated with them.
So I think that we need sacred spaces. And this I will concede to all the old hippies out there, myself included: sacred spaces need not be only church buildings. But I do think that we need places to be sacred. These might be woodland clearings, rivers, forests, or any place we feel at one with God.
This is not to say that we can leave our sacred feelings in our sanctuaries and go about the business of life forgetting all we come to treasure in our sacred spaces. No, we need to practice our spiritual principals in all our affairs. We need to bring the holiness we feel in our sacred spaces into our daily lives to the extent that it is possible. This means we need to bring our spiritual peace of mind into our driving habits, for example.
But without a special, holy space, we may never find that channel of spiritual love and enlightenment. Without a holy space, we may not find the spirituality to infuse our lives with. We may forget about God; our prayer life may suffer; and we may become materialistic. God does not require a temple or elaborate rituals to be honored with. But it is my belief that we humans do.

PRAYER

Lord, we are often caught up in the affairs of this world, caught up to the extent that we forget about your kingdom. We let worries and concerns for the things of this world overwhelm us. Yet when we come here, we ask for you to accompany our worship service, and fill us with your warmth and light. May we leave our worldly worries at the door to this sanctuary, and let go of all our concerns for the things of this world, and open our hearts to receive your love. May we lift our minds to the things of your kingdom when we enter these walls. And yet, Lord, you are everywhere, and your kingdom is within each of us wherever we are. May we bring to the outside world the peace and love that we find in this church. May the holy inspiration we find here fill our lives outside these walls. May we practice the principles we learn here in all our affairs.

And Lord, we pray that you bring peace to this troubled world. May those who harbor ill will for their neighbors learn to understand and see the fellow humanity that they share. May those who strive against each other see that they are like in their wishes and in what they want for their land and nation. And may warring factions find their way to peace.

Lord, we ask for you to heal those who are sick. As you worked miracles of healing when you were on earth, how much more can you work healing miracles now that you have risen and have all authority in heaven and on earth. Grant all who are in need your healing love and power.