God’s dwelling place

“Is it time for you to live in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins? Now this is what the Lord of Armies says. Consider your ways carefully. You sow much seed but you harvest little. You eat but you are never satisfied. You drink but you never become drunk. You get dressed, but no one is warm. The one who makes money puts that money into a bag with a hole in it. This is what the Lord of Armies says. Consider your ways carefully. Go up to the mountains, bring lumber down, and build the House. I will be pleased with it, and I will be glorified, says the Lord. You expected much, but look, there was little. When you brought it home, I blew it away. Why did I do that? This is a declaration of the Lord of Armies. It is because my house lies in ruins while each of you is busy with your own house. So it is because of you that the heavens have withheld the dew and the earth has withheld its produce. I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the olive oil, on everything which the soil produces, on people, on livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

— Haggai 1

For decades Christians have been told to get outside of the bubble—that our ministry lies beyond the church walls. It’s an important message, but something’s been lost: the health of the Church—Christ’s Body and God’s Dwelling Place. In our preoccupation with our own lives and our zeal to solve the world’s problems, we’ve left God’s House to deteriorate. Is it surprising that our efforts seem so fruitless? And we’re tired. Now is the time to work on God’s House—the Church—even as we continue to engage the world.

“So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

— Ephesians 2:19-22

Damp Logs

Our late Spring vacation in the mountains came with chilly mornings and evenings. It was too late in the season for the Park staff to restock firewood, but temperatures in the low 50s made fires something we looked forward to each day. My only option was to scrounge the few remaining logs that had been sitting around in the damp weather, probably for weeks.

Starting a fire with damp wood was a challenge to be sure. But with some persistence, we soon heard the crackling and popping of a fire that filled our cabin with warmth (and a little smoke).

What I discovered, though, was that I could never leave the fire for long. I had to tend it constantly. If the damp logs separated from one another, the fire would quickly die out.

I think Christians are like damp logs. Most of us don't burn hot alone. Separated and isolated from one another, the flame of our faith will die out too. So, I admire and appreciate people with the gift of connecting people—tending the community. It's a gift that stirs vitality and warmth for us all.

Be thou my vision

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart. (Dal­lan For­gaill)

So far as I can tell, the words 'vision' and 'division' have no shared root. But these two similar-sounding words say so much about where we place our faith and how we so easily jump the tracks.

Vision is about sight—the kind of sight that orients and drives us; sight that shapes our imaginations and guides our feet. Vision unites. Jesus, Be Thou my Vision.

Division is about partition. It's about organizing around something less than vision.

Jesus and the basics of faith unite believers. Doctrines, opinions, and perceptions separate us into tribes. Like the nation of Israel—for a while, a united nation with God as their King, yet organized into twelve tribes. At one point, division became more important than vision and Israel and Judah lost connection.

Isn't it the same today? Our tribalism—our organization around preferences, favorite doctrines, our opinions, and our perceptions—defines us more than a Uniting Vision: our shared identity and shared citizenship in the Kingdom.

Jesus, Be Thou my Vision.