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20 July Pentecost 6

2 Samuel 7:1-14a This chapter introduces a new phase in the story of King David. The stormy times of his succession to the throne are past, the battles are said to be over (but see 8:13-14, and 11:1), Much of David's life to this point had been nomadic. Now he is living in a house of cedar, indicative of a new era of stability for the king, and for Israel. "The considerations which lead David to think of building a temple are laudable, and worthy of a godly king. A house of cedar is the supreme example of a well-constructed and distinguished building; tents, on the other hand, are a feature of the lodging of nomads, . . . a lodging which is easily destructible and can be broken up at any moment. What an insult to the Lord and to his ark, to have to endure this manifest indignity! No wonder the prophet Nathan immediately agrees." (Hertzberg) But The Lord gives Nathan a contrary message for David.

Note in the passage the emphasis on the two types of house: a material house for God to dwell in, and a God's promise to build up your (ie David's) royal house (v 11). It is more important that the Lord will make a house of the king, rather than the king make a house for the Lord. It is a later member of the house of David who is to build the house of God. See 1 Chronicles 22:6-10 for that writer's explanation for this.

Psalm 89:20-37 The whole of this psalm celebrates the covenant God make with David. The reference to the 2 Samuel reading is plain. David and his house are promised unending greatness and glory. I shall establish his line forever and his throne as long as the heavens endure . . . his posterity will continue forever, his throne before me like the sun; like the moon it will endure forever. . . In fact, few of the successors of David on the throne fulfilled the hopes expressed. Zedekiah was the last of the line. Nebuchadnezzar, in retaliation for Zedekiah's treachery, had Jerusalem taken and looted, and the palace and temple were destroyed. "What then of the divine promise on oath that David's dynasty should never cease? The answer is that the fulfilment passed on to David's greater Son, the messianic King in whose veins would still run the blood of David." (Cowell Lloyd). We read this psalm as Christian people as a song of praise to Jesus Christ, in whom the promises made to David are fulfilled. But note George Knight's warning: "We should not think that this psalm 'foretells' Christ, for many of the details of it (eg vs 22-23) do not fit him at all. On the other hand we can confidently conclude that in Christ the essence of this passage is fulfilled or "enfleshed" forever. Not David, not his successors, not Israel, but only he can match its visionary sweep." (Psalms Vol II in the Daily Study Bible)

Ephesians 2:11-22 An exposition of the unifying power of Christ as evidence in the way he has broken down the barrier of enmity which separated them [Gentile and Jew]. The writer gives us a picture of the ideal church rather than the reality of his day, for there were deep divisions in the church as he wrote, and it was by his time largely a Gentile fellowship. As in our own day the ideal unity of the Body of Christ, his church, is belied by the divisions and parties in its life. The references in verses 20-22 to building, corner-stone, holy temple are of course to be taken figuratively. This is made clear in v. 19: you are . . . members of God's household. The New Testament shows little interest in buildings, except in this figurative sense. Even the word temple is used mainly with reference to Christ himself, and/or his people - see John 2:19-22, 4:20-24, Acts 7:46-50, Acts 17:24, I Peter 2:5-8.

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 The lectionary omits the center-piece of this section of Mark's Gospel, the feeding of the multitude, which we read next week from John's Gospel. We are left today with a curiously disembowelled Gospel reading. The key phrase in the first section of the reading is his heart went out to them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. The Greek word used for his heart went out (REB) is one that translators seem to have trouble with. Had compassion for them (NRSV); Had compassion on them (NIV); Was filled with pity for them (GNB); He took pity on them (JB). I prefer compassion with its root meaning "to suffer with" - a stronger conception than pity or his heart went out to, both of which may denote no more than passing emotion. "In the New Testament splagchnizomai [the underlying Greek word] is only used of Jesus apart from three occasions on which it occurs on his lips with reference to figures in parables that have a close connection with himself. It denotes not merely sentiment, but a pity which expresses itself in active assistance" (Cranfield). Verses 53-56 show Jesus' compassion in action among the sick at Gennesaret.

Preaching "Let us build"

When the three disciples were with Jesus on the mountain of transfiguration, Peter's first reaction to the mind-numbing spectacle was to say, "Shall we make three shelters. . . ?" The Christian church after its earliest era has felt the need everywhere to put up buildings to God's glory. At least according to foundation stones and commemorative tablets they are for God's glory. We may wonder how often they are more for the glory of a particular congregation - and, these days, for its comfort. And sometimes to be a status symbol?

I cannot imagine the value of land and buildings owned by the Presbyterian Church in my own city. Add the other branches of the Christian Church here, and then project that throughout New Zealand, and the figure must be frighteningly immense. Then think about the time, thought, energy, money, initiative and hard work that is channelled throughout the country into maintenance, improvements and extensions to church buildings . . . Is this the best the Christian Church can do with the resources available to it?

Of course, it's easier to muster support for a project to maintain/improve/erect a church building that it is to initiate and sustain a project to bring compassion and practical help to the sheep without a shepherd in our communities.

Special buildings for worship get little support in the Scriptures. David is bluntly told he is not to consider putting up a building in honour of God's name. The various temples built in Jerusalem far from enduring for centuries were razed by enemies. Our Lord was little impressed by the disciples' admiration of the temple (Mark 13:1-2). I cannot think of any suggestion in the New Testament that Christian people should erect fine buildings for worship. I understand that it was some centuries before Christian churches began to build houses for worship. The standard gathering-place for worship in the early church seems to have been the church that is at their house (Romans 16:5; see also 1 Cor 16:19, Col 4:15).

The real estate "owned" by the church is like a great weight that oppresses it and holds it back from its God-appointed tasks in the world. Ask any bishop of the Church of England in that country about the burden of trying to maintain or restore the fabric of old churches which may be of glorious architectural beauty and historical significance, but there are no people to worship in them any more. Enquire what proportion of your own congregation's income has been applied to buildings and grounds over the last five years, and compare it with the proportion allocated to being actively the body of Christ in your community . . .

This is not to say that buildings are totally unnecessary and the church should get rid of them. Our Lord was in the custom of being in the synagogue on the Sabbath day (Luke 4:16). Many people have good reason to be glad of precious experiences of God's nearness in church buildings; we probably have between ten and twenty times as many of them as we could justify if challenged - a knotty problem for the church.

David was encouraged to collaborate with God in building up his royal "house" - that is, his line; the writer to the Ephesians encourages his readers in Christ to be built with all the others into a spiritual building for God. Our Lord "went about doing good" out of the compassion within him. He calls his people together to the Body of Christ to continue the same work that he gave himself to. People are what matter. When buildings obscure the place of people, they have become idols, and we need to be freed from their tyranny.

A call to worship . . . A prayer of confession

Let us worship God.
We are glad of this time of worship together.
We are different from each other in many ways,
With our own joys, sorrows, hopes, anxieties;
Yet here we unite our voices in song and prayer
To honour God
And to pledge ourselves anew to God
In the grace and the power of our Lord Jesus Christ

. . . and an opening prayer
Eternal God,
We celebrate your glory here.
United with each other,
United with people of faith around the world today,
United with people of past generations,
We honour you for the glory of your love
In Jesus the Christ.
To you, the eternal God,
We offer our worship.

In these prayers, the words in italic print may be said by all the people.

A prayer of confession

The love of God never ends.
our faith depends on it.
Our church is built on it.
Our Christian life and hope are not possible without it.

Your love, Lord God is reflected too little in our lives.
So much of our thinking and acting focusses on ourselves.
Comfort security, possessions and pleasure -
such things absorb us and pre-occupy us.
Our compassion is too shallow and too fleeting.
Rancour and resentment blight our lives.

You judge us, Lord God
You now what we are, but still you love us
Let the love that was in Jesus Christ
In his living and dying,
be also in us, forgiving us, filling us, changing us
Shining in our thoughts and our words and our deeds.

Help us Lord God,
To hear your word of love and truth
in the scriptures,
in the love of Jesus,
and in his dying and rising,
in the fellowship of the church, its worship and service.

May we live more and more
According to the teaching and example of Jesus our Lord,
And in him find fullness and perfection of life eternally.

 

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