Since many if not all of us are who peek at this blog are fortunate to live in homes and worship in a beautiful church I thought you might enjoy this post. paz.
God, may all of your children find shelter. Amen.
The Soul of a Building
Excerpt from 1 Kings 7:1-12
"Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house."
Reflection by William C. Green
The housing market is a leading indicator of the state of the economy and our quality of life. What about churches - "houses of God"? Is our quality of life also tied to those?
Many church properties are deteriorating; some need to be torn down, others remodeled, others maintained at high expense. New church starts sometimes abandon the thought of constructing a church at all and worship informally in other ways.
The Bible says God wants to live in our hearts and not "in houses made by human hands." But it doesn't say God should not be worshipped in such houses. New, old, remodeled, or located on other property, the place of worship affects the quality of spiritual life. We are not souls unaffected by physical reality. Think of a family that has no place to call its own and moves from one place to another or lives in a shelter, as many do. Souls need a home.
While it's easy to think Solomon went overboard in the construction of his home - a palace that even included the Temple of God - the physical detail of its construction is significant. It was meant to be an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace—the definition of a sacrament. Colors, floors, ceilings, beams, panels, light, smell, craft, figurative art, and decoration ignite the soul. We ourselves are homeless without them.
Whatever our own house of worship may it be a sacrament - a place that embodies the grace of God.
Prayer
May the work of our hands praise you, God. Amen.
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