Good morning y'all! I am simply loving the prophets even if it seems they are all saying the same thing. No wonder these guys weren't popular.
I read this following quote concerning the theme of Haggai (which, by the way, I haven't heard very many sermons on, wonder why, it's got good stuff in it.)
The primary theme is the rebuilding of God’s temple, which had been lying in ruins since its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. By means of 5 messages from the Lord, Haggai exhorted the people to renew their efforts to build the house of the Lord. He motivated them by noting that the drought and crop failures were caused by misplaced spiritual priorities (1:9–11). But to Haggai, the rebuilding of the temple was not an end in itself. The temple represented God’s dwelling place, His manifest presence with His chosen people. The destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar followed the departure of God’s dwelling glory (cf. Ezek. 8–11); to the prophet, the rebuilding of the temple invited the return of God’s presence to their midst. Using the historical situation as a springboard, Haggai reveled in the supreme glory of the ultimate messianic temple yet to come (2:7), encouraging them with the promise of even greater peace (2:9), prosperity (2:19), divine rulership (2:21,22), and national blessing (2:23) during the Millennium. (obtained here)
I've been listening to an audio book called The Heavenly Man. Very powerful witness in this book. It concerns the Chinese church during the 80's and 90's under heavy persecution. During this time the church of China grew exponentially without buildings or organized religion. It was very organic. When Brother Yun visited the western churches (us) he stated that we had these big beautiful churches but we were dead inside. I began to struggle with having these beautiful ornate churches and the money we spend on decorating them.
And then I read this in Haggai. And I read the instructions God gave the Israelites with the initial building of the temple.
And I still struggle.
I believe there is pause for both. We humans attach great meaning to things with which we have experienced great emotion. I meet with two other ladies every week for prayer. We pray in the same room, often in our same chairs. Over the years my prayer time with them has become very deep and I believe it is due, in part, to the meaning I have placed there. Not that there is anything magical, or Godly about that room, or that chair, but it is the experience that I have there. I believe it is the same, or can be the same with a building. We meet God there. It is where we get to know Him, where we experience Him. Not that we can't experience Him in other places, but it becomes habitual. Just like a couple going back to the place they took their first date, the old memories and feelings come flooding back. And we remember why we fell in love.
God knows us. He knows that we need visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile to help us to learn. The same is true in learning about God. There are so many ways we can experience God and get to know Him. He is not all cerebral. He knows that by creating a sacred place set apart for Him we can get to know Him better. It's like going on a date with God. It is a time set aside to be with Him.
The danger is when we place all of our belief and trust in that place and not in the God that brings us to that place. I see it in our churches, people get boiling mad because someone moved the pulpit! Just like we place great meaning in a place, sometimes we can place too much. The place where we go to be with God has become god. It's a fine line. One of which we must be sure we are constantly evaluating, making sure we do not place too much value on.
Big beautiful churches are ok, even good, because they show us how, in one small way, just how big and beautiful our God is. They point us to God. And that's always a good thing.
Tomorrow's passage: Zechariah 1-4, 3 John 1
3 comments:
Great post Kathryn. I too often take my freedom of religion and church for granted. Our church is doing a building expansion right now, and the centre theme of prayer is building for the harvest of unbelievers. It is not to make the church prettier, or more grand, but simply to accomodate the masses that will be reached for Christ.
I think in a time and place where the people of a congregation are in a position to give generously for the construction of their church building, there is nothing wrong with having a big, beautiful church. I remember seeing a picture of a huge, incredibly gorgeous cathedral my sister photographed when she was in Europe a few years ago and thinking "Wow, what would it be like to worship in a place like that, where the immensity, and the workmanship of the stone and stained glass fill you with awe..." and to me, for whom it would be a new experience to be in a cathedral like that, it would make God seem that much more awesome and glorious and wonderful. I realize that it would be an emotional response, but I don't think there is necessarily anything wrong with that, as long as the beauty and grandeur of the building lift you up towards worship of God, not the wonder of man's creation.
On an entirely different note, did anyone else find it appropriate that the first chapter of Haggai talks about giving careful thought to your ways, as we approach New Years which for many people is a time of starting over, or resolving to do things differently or better? Just an observation.
Great post Kathryn. I loved the quote about the rebuilding bring the presence of God back to the people. It's such a personal word picture!
Interesting note there Miriam about giving careful thought to our ways, and New Year's coming up!
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