This autumn, we are reflecting in worship on the same stories the youngest among us are discussing in Church School, going through the Bible from the beginning.
For the next few weeks, we’ll move through the Old Testament and hear stories about how, “God calls.” Our Worship Series, Living the Word, reminds us that, “God’s call is often surprising to us, as God looks not on the outside, but at the heart. God continues to invite unlikely people to be great leaders and pillars of the faith. These imperfect leaders answer God’s call, allowing God to work through them in remarkable ways, even as their faults are sometimes evident. God’s presence serves as a constant source of strength and peace and equips them to serve, though challenges may abound.”
History has revered King Solomon for his wisdom in leadership. One of the first things he did in his 40-year reign was fulfill one of the unrealized dreams of his father and build the temple in Jerusalem. It was a grand building project that took seven years to complete –sourcing cedars and cypress from Lebanon, olive wood, quarried stone, gold and bronze and the best decorative arts in the land. He enlisted nearly 200,000 workers. The Bible goes on for several chapters about the details of it all (1 Kings 5-8 & 2 Chronicles 2-7).
The project culminated a 480-year longing of the Israelites to have a home for their God. A holy centerpiece in the city, toward which they could orient their ultimate loyalty in life. At the center of the temple’s Holy of Holies were the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai, relics that have been carried by generation after generation keeping the faith.
It would all be destroyed 410 years later by the Babylonians.
Remembering this story and all of the elaborate effort that went into building it — indeed all the effort that goes into building and maintaining any house of worship — has me thinking about the purpose of these buildings. Why do we need such a building? How do we use it as a place for our best intentions and actions?
On Sunday, we will reflect on Solomon’s dedication and purpose in building the Temple in Jerusalem and what that says about our own sacred space here in Brookline. I welcome your best intentions as we come to worship together.
In faith,
Kent
Image of the scale model of the Second Temple at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (source: Wikipedia)
