When Franklin Roosevelt was President he had some connections with the larger churches, he preferred to attend the much smaller St. John’s Church. It bothered Roosevelt that tourists would attend a certain church simply because they believed they’d get a chance to see the President. There’s a legendary story about a phone call made to the pastor at St. John’s Church: “Will the President be in attendance at worship this Sunday?” asked the caller. The Pastor replied, “I don’t know, but I can assure you that Jesus will be here, and that should be good enough.”
We expect Jesus to come to church, don’t we? We want Him in our midst. We invite Him to make himself known among us every Sunday. It’s kind of fun/scary to think about what he will find when he shows up. In our scripture today he goes to church [the temple] and did not like what he found! What mess does he need to clean up here? Where are we going wrong? It’s easy to scold ourselves, but I think it is also good and right to ask what we are doing right…
We expect Jesus to come to church, don’t we? We want Him in our midst. We invite Him to make himself known among us every Sunday. It’s kind of fun/scary to think about what he will find when he shows up. In our scripture today he goes to church [the temple] and did not like what he found! What mess does he need to clean up here? Where are we going wrong? It’s easy to scold ourselves, but I think it is also good and right to ask what we are doing right…
Jesus drives out sellers because he loves the temple, he wants the best for them, we often describe Jesus as angry, but the root of the problem, I think, is disappointment… in today’s scripture Jesus is re-focusing priorities and challenging the people to get back to the essential purpose of the temple. By upending the tables and stopping the misplaced business, Jesus is symbolically and literally preparing the world for a new way of thinking as he goes to the cross and gives his own life as the final sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. The temple/ animal sacrifices will no longer be needed because Jesus himself dies in our place offering a life of peace with Christ for those who accept His gift.
Jesus shows up at church, declaring the people have drifted away from the purpose of church: communion with God. The challenge for us in 2018 in Sumas is to reaffirm our fundamental purpose as a church/followers of Jesus Christ. Why are WE here?
I used to hang out at the funeral homes a few years ago when I did weekly funerals. Many times the funeral directors would talk about how people responded in casual settings when they found out they were undertakers. I half jokingly told them to tell people, “I organize family reunions,” because that is a wonderful and important part of what the funeral is about. Of course they are there to take care of the process of burial, but the heart of the purpose is for families and friends to say good by. What is the heart of the purpose for us at SACC?
In today’s scripture, Jesus marches into the temple, tosses out the vendors and business people, and says, “My temple will be a place of prayer.” Describing the temple as a house of prayer is found only one time in the Old Testament, Is. 56:7, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. A House of prayer is a rare way of thinking about the temple. The normal thinking is that the temple is the place of sacrifices. Jesus is challenging that sacrifices are the essence of the purpose. Sacrifices happen, but the reason for sacrifices is for people’s lives to be transformed as they are changed and made whole before the Lord Almighty. Sacrifices were never meant to be a formality. That would be like reading your Bible just to say you read the Bible, the greater purpose of reading the Bible is to gain guidance, a transformed life, to hear the voice of God speak through the stories…
What is our purpose as a church? What is our fundamental reason for existing? If you were to describe our church as a place where sermons take place and teaching and Potlucks and a clothing bank I’d say all those things happen, wonderful things, but are those really the central purposes of why we exist…? what is it? May we see our church as a gathering for people to connect with God and God with people and to find hope and encouragement from others to stay true to a God honoring life… The Greatest commandment, Love the Lord Your God…//////
Jesus thunders in the temple as he stampedes over the abuses in the courtyard: “My house will be a house of PRAYER.” Why prayer? Because prayer is communion with God, making God personal…the sacrifices, any teaching that takes place, are to point towards God and hearing his voice and being transformed by His Spirit.
“My house shall be a house of prayer” is a realignment of the purpose of the temple, the reason it exists… Jesus marches into the temple courts and tosses out those “those who were selling.” ////We are far removed from the Jerusalem temple 200 years ago in a different culture and a different time… I want to share a few details to make Jesus actions and his proclamation come alive: My House will be a House of Prayer…
(illustration of the temple ~~ the temple courts, where the money-changers were set up, etc. I don’t think the businesses that are set up were all wrong in their intention, but they strayed a long way from their original intention… The original point was to get sacrifices into the hands of the people…the problem is that they evolved into a money making scheme… 10’s of 1000’s of pilgrims are pouring into the city, and to offer even a small bird as a sacrifice is very meaningful… But another problem was created that is more abusive… the outer court is the only place the gentiles are allowed… the temple priests are barring the gentiles from worship because there is no room for them… )
I want to read the larger context of the Isaiah 56 scripture in which the temple as the House of Prayer is originally talked about. Oftentimes in the N.T. when a well known phrase is used with roots in the O.T., it enlarges the meaning by looking back at the context because that is what is being referred to… It would be like me saying, “Twas the night before Christmas…” that’s all I have to say, and you would bring to mind the ancticipation of presents, Santa, joy, delight of a child…. Jesus quotes the phrase, “My house will be a house of prayer,” that is one phrase in a larger poem… so listen to what else is in the poem… this is about the disenfranchised, the unlovables, the foreigners who are promised a place before God in the temple… the temple, the idea of connecting with God Almighty is for all who call on his name, not one group, not a closed club, but for all… READ Is. 56:3-7.
The sin of the temple moneychangers and taking up all that space is that there was no room for non-Jews… In the days of Jesus, the Jews were consumed by self preservation, consumed by their own needs… they forgot their greater God given mission of being a light for all nations…I am absolutely convinced that the greater purpose of the Jewish nation was to share the love and grace of God with all who will listen, to share the Good News of God’s salvation… Jesus is giving them one more opportunity to go back to their root purpose by cleansing the temple and refocusing on the greater good of forgiveness for all///// including people of all nations, races, backgrounds….
God’s people still exist for the sake of those that are different from us … My house shall be a house of prayer… a gathering for people to connect with God and God with people and to find hope and encouragement from others to stay true to a God honoring life… we could go on forever talking about prayer ~~~ There are formal prayers, time to set aside, patterns of prayer, organized prayer efforts in many forms… but I believe the essence of prayer is an awareness of God, walking in the Spirit of God, listening for his voice….The temple/Church is a place set aside for a formal reminder of his presence with God’s people, a place literally of love, acceptance and forgiveness ~ and then to send people back into the world with an awareness of God to walk in the same spirit of prayer, awareness that God is central to our lives…
My House Shall be a House or PRAYER is a refocusing on what is most important, the essence of the purpose so people can connect with God. This is why we exist. I cannot think of anything more important than to connect with the Lord Jesus Christ.
As Jesus continues he says of the temple, “but you have made it a den of robbers.” Harsh words. When Jesus shows up to church we do have to be prepared to be corrected and refocused. I know we are very imperfect and certainly your pastors are probably schmucks at times… (at least one of us) we make mistakes, we are not always as aggressive with the gospel as we could be… but I think that even though our working out our purpose is imperfect, I am proud that for over 100 years the greatest purpose of this church has been to point to the Lord Jesus Christ and proclaiming the promise of God giving hope and opportunity to know him. When my father served as your pastor a generation ago his entire adult years, I think, in my opinion, his favorite song that he found great joy because of the simple but profoundly deep meaning//// God is so good… As the song is sung, the great purpose of the church of being a House of Prayer, is reaffirmed … God is so good… He answers prayer… He cares for me…I love Him so…I’ll do His will…I praise His name…
The scripture goes on to say that Jesus taught in the temple everyday… Jesus had been warned in the scripture we read last week by the religious leaders to tell his followers to shut up… but Jesus doubles down by making a huge commotion in the temple… and he refuses to go into hiding. The people and the leaders are becoming polarized, the people amazed by Jesus teaching and the leaders trying to figure out how to kill Jesus. It’s like Luke is telling us, you have to choose…! READ Luke 19:47-48. Interesting side note, it’s a long history of which we don’t have time to talk, but the truth is that the Pharisees and the Priests get together to figure out how to kill Jesus, but they don’t even like each other ~ they are united only because they oppose Jesus. You’ve heard the phrase, politics makes strange bedfellows, that is what is happening here…
In the scripture two sides are forming, for and against Jesus. I want to be on the side of Christ! Take your stand for Christ!
Jesus is here among us… If he needs to correct us then we need to be open, but let’s give everything we have to make this place, this gathering, every program, every event, every thought be an expression of the greater purpose of PRAYER…My house shall be a house of prayer ~~~ a community of people connecting with God and God with people. A place that all people will find hope and encouragement from one another to stay true to a God honoring life. God is so good!
Jesus shows up at church, declaring the people have drifted away from the purpose of church: communion with God. The challenge for us in 2018 in Sumas is to reaffirm our fundamental purpose as a church/followers of Jesus Christ. Why are WE here?
I used to hang out at the funeral homes a few years ago when I did weekly funerals. Many times the funeral directors would talk about how people responded in casual settings when they found out they were undertakers. I half jokingly told them to tell people, “I organize family reunions,” because that is a wonderful and important part of what the funeral is about. Of course they are there to take care of the process of burial, but the heart of the purpose is for families and friends to say good by. What is the heart of the purpose for us at SACC?
In today’s scripture, Jesus marches into the temple, tosses out the vendors and business people, and says, “My temple will be a place of prayer.” Describing the temple as a house of prayer is found only one time in the Old Testament, Is. 56:7, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. A House of prayer is a rare way of thinking about the temple. The normal thinking is that the temple is the place of sacrifices. Jesus is challenging that sacrifices are the essence of the purpose. Sacrifices happen, but the reason for sacrifices is for people’s lives to be transformed as they are changed and made whole before the Lord Almighty. Sacrifices were never meant to be a formality. That would be like reading your Bible just to say you read the Bible, the greater purpose of reading the Bible is to gain guidance, a transformed life, to hear the voice of God speak through the stories…
What is our purpose as a church? What is our fundamental reason for existing? If you were to describe our church as a place where sermons take place and teaching and Potlucks and a clothing bank I’d say all those things happen, wonderful things, but are those really the central purposes of why we exist…? what is it? May we see our church as a gathering for people to connect with God and God with people and to find hope and encouragement from others to stay true to a God honoring life… The Greatest commandment, Love the Lord Your God…//////
Jesus thunders in the temple as he stampedes over the abuses in the courtyard: “My house will be a house of PRAYER.” Why prayer? Because prayer is communion with God, making God personal…the sacrifices, any teaching that takes place, are to point towards God and hearing his voice and being transformed by His Spirit.
“My house shall be a house of prayer” is a realignment of the purpose of the temple, the reason it exists… Jesus marches into the temple courts and tosses out those “those who were selling.” ////We are far removed from the Jerusalem temple 200 years ago in a different culture and a different time… I want to share a few details to make Jesus actions and his proclamation come alive: My House will be a House of Prayer…
(illustration of the temple ~~ the temple courts, where the money-changers were set up, etc. I don’t think the businesses that are set up were all wrong in their intention, but they strayed a long way from their original intention… The original point was to get sacrifices into the hands of the people…the problem is that they evolved into a money making scheme… 10’s of 1000’s of pilgrims are pouring into the city, and to offer even a small bird as a sacrifice is very meaningful… But another problem was created that is more abusive… the outer court is the only place the gentiles are allowed… the temple priests are barring the gentiles from worship because there is no room for them… )
I want to read the larger context of the Isaiah 56 scripture in which the temple as the House of Prayer is originally talked about. Oftentimes in the N.T. when a well known phrase is used with roots in the O.T., it enlarges the meaning by looking back at the context because that is what is being referred to… It would be like me saying, “Twas the night before Christmas…” that’s all I have to say, and you would bring to mind the ancticipation of presents, Santa, joy, delight of a child…. Jesus quotes the phrase, “My house will be a house of prayer,” that is one phrase in a larger poem… so listen to what else is in the poem… this is about the disenfranchised, the unlovables, the foreigners who are promised a place before God in the temple… the temple, the idea of connecting with God Almighty is for all who call on his name, not one group, not a closed club, but for all… READ Is. 56:3-7.
The sin of the temple moneychangers and taking up all that space is that there was no room for non-Jews… In the days of Jesus, the Jews were consumed by self preservation, consumed by their own needs… they forgot their greater God given mission of being a light for all nations…I am absolutely convinced that the greater purpose of the Jewish nation was to share the love and grace of God with all who will listen, to share the Good News of God’s salvation… Jesus is giving them one more opportunity to go back to their root purpose by cleansing the temple and refocusing on the greater good of forgiveness for all///// including people of all nations, races, backgrounds….
God’s people still exist for the sake of those that are different from us … My house shall be a house of prayer… a gathering for people to connect with God and God with people and to find hope and encouragement from others to stay true to a God honoring life… we could go on forever talking about prayer ~~~ There are formal prayers, time to set aside, patterns of prayer, organized prayer efforts in many forms… but I believe the essence of prayer is an awareness of God, walking in the Spirit of God, listening for his voice….The temple/Church is a place set aside for a formal reminder of his presence with God’s people, a place literally of love, acceptance and forgiveness ~ and then to send people back into the world with an awareness of God to walk in the same spirit of prayer, awareness that God is central to our lives…
My House Shall be a House or PRAYER is a refocusing on what is most important, the essence of the purpose so people can connect with God. This is why we exist. I cannot think of anything more important than to connect with the Lord Jesus Christ.
As Jesus continues he says of the temple, “but you have made it a den of robbers.” Harsh words. When Jesus shows up to church we do have to be prepared to be corrected and refocused. I know we are very imperfect and certainly your pastors are probably schmucks at times… (at least one of us) we make mistakes, we are not always as aggressive with the gospel as we could be… but I think that even though our working out our purpose is imperfect, I am proud that for over 100 years the greatest purpose of this church has been to point to the Lord Jesus Christ and proclaiming the promise of God giving hope and opportunity to know him. When my father served as your pastor a generation ago his entire adult years, I think, in my opinion, his favorite song that he found great joy because of the simple but profoundly deep meaning//// God is so good… As the song is sung, the great purpose of the church of being a House of Prayer, is reaffirmed … God is so good… He answers prayer… He cares for me…I love Him so…I’ll do His will…I praise His name…
The scripture goes on to say that Jesus taught in the temple everyday… Jesus had been warned in the scripture we read last week by the religious leaders to tell his followers to shut up… but Jesus doubles down by making a huge commotion in the temple… and he refuses to go into hiding. The people and the leaders are becoming polarized, the people amazed by Jesus teaching and the leaders trying to figure out how to kill Jesus. It’s like Luke is telling us, you have to choose…! READ Luke 19:47-48. Interesting side note, it’s a long history of which we don’t have time to talk, but the truth is that the Pharisees and the Priests get together to figure out how to kill Jesus, but they don’t even like each other ~ they are united only because they oppose Jesus. You’ve heard the phrase, politics makes strange bedfellows, that is what is happening here…
In the scripture two sides are forming, for and against Jesus. I want to be on the side of Christ! Take your stand for Christ!
Jesus is here among us… If he needs to correct us then we need to be open, but let’s give everything we have to make this place, this gathering, every program, every event, every thought be an expression of the greater purpose of PRAYER…My house shall be a house of prayer ~~~ a community of people connecting with God and God with people. A place that all people will find hope and encouragement from one another to stay true to a God honoring life. God is so good!
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