The House of God

2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Ephesians 2:11-22
Year B
7th Sunday after Pentecost
“The House of God”
July 19, 2009

Walls – why we need them
Walls are an important part of our life. What would we do without them, especially in our climate. They protect us, they help us define ourselves, it separates us from people and things that are not in our best interest. And there are certain walls, in certain buildings with have great meaning for us. They tell our story of who we are and what is important to us.

Houses – beautiful homes
Walls are an important part of our dwellings. They create beautiful homes and buildings.

Beautiful houses of God
Some of the most beautiful buildings in the world are the ones that we build for God. The cathedrals of Europe are amazing. Oak Park has some beautiful churches also, which sanctuaries which truly make you think of the throne room of God. St Edmunds is a truly amazing sanctuary. People constantly compliment our own sanctuary. The stain glass says worship God in a place of beauty.

Long tradition – tradition of all to say thank you
Creating a beautiful place to worship God is a part of our worship experience. So when David decided that he was going to build a beautiful house for God – he was just trying to make sure that his God, had the same respect that all of the others gods of the people around him had. When a national leader came into power, it was expected that you would build a momument for God. What better monument to God could there be besides a house to come and to worship, and say thank you and to acknowledge God as the king of our lives.

David’s intention -If he was going to be king – God had to be king
David’s intention were very pure. He realized that if he was going to be King, that God had to also be King. God ad brought him from a very long way. God had brought him through some pretty tough times. God had bought his people through some times which questioned the very foundation of who they were and who they were supposed to be. But God had bought David to a good place now, he had bought the country to a stable place. And it was time to make sure that God was in that same place, and taken care of just as well.

God grows with us – David’s relationship with God
In many ways, it seemed that as David’s life changed, God changed with him. There was a time when God was a war God. God was the one who called the Isrealites into war to conquer the land and take it from others. God was the one who supported them in battle, God was the one who strengthened them to survive and to establish a homeland, in the midst of enemies. God protected David when he was a warrior, and God anointed him when he became King.

Isreal’s relationship with God
There was a time when Israel was given strict instructions not to have a King. God was their king. But they realized that as time went on that they needed a king in order to survive as a nation of people. God permitted the change, because as the people changed, their needs and what was best for them changed.

History of God
God is still a God of change. And as we grow as a people – so does our God. It was not that long ago in history that churches used scripture to justify slavery, and the ensuing racism that followed. We still use the bible to justify wars, and killings and all sorts of bad things that hurt other people. And it has taken us years to change the definition of those words – to realize that there are other ways to treat people.

Example of road to freedom
Yesterday, a friend and I went to see the Road to Freedom exhibit with the Chicago Urban League at the field museum. It was a collections of photos from the civil rights era. It was a pretty moving event, but one photo struck my attention. It was a picture of one of the nine young people who first desegrated the school in Little Rock. One of the girls arrived a day early because she did not get word that the event had been postponed a day. This photo was of her walking to school – and there were a large group of girls from the school behind her – they were scowling at her, and her their fist raised. The girls in the picture were 15-16 years old. I would imagine that by now they would be grandmothers. Both my friend and I wondered what conversation would ensue if these women had a conversation with their grandchildren today about that picture. How would they respond when their grandchildren asked them why they were so upset with that little girl just because she was going to school.

Who is God today? Who do we worship as our God
The world which we live in had changed dramatically even in the last 40 years. And so has our view of God. Who is the God which we worship today? What does that God stand for in society? And it is will be interesting what views that we are stuck with and that we use God to defend, will be totally useless in 10 – 15 years, because the world has changed.

David learned an important lesson
Our view of God changes with our understanding of the world. Yet David had to learn an important lesson that day. Just because the world changes, just because our understanding of God changes – God remains the same.

Nathan said no
David was told that he was not the build God’s house. That God was not ready to join him in the mist of his success

God is still king. God lives with the people.God doesn’t live inside of walls.

David could not build a house for God – but God would build a house for David.
God promised David that there would always be a member of his family on the throne. That his son would build the temple That his sons would be blessed, and that his son would have to power to be raised up so that David’s name would be remembered forever.

People are the true house of God.
God doesn’t live within walls, and never will. The true house of God is the hearts of his people. That is where God has always lived and where God will always live. God is free to live with the people.

The real problem are walls of our hearts.
Walls are important to us, they protect us. They define us, they tell our story. But walls can also hold us in, they can keep us trapped in beliefs that no longer serve out best interest, they can keep other people out, they can keep us from really witnesses what god is doing in the world. They do not contain the spirit of God. The real problem is not the walls that we build around us, the real problem is the walls that we build inside of us.

Soldier story
In World War I, there was a soldier who was killed in France. His friends wanted to make sure that he was buried before they had to move on. They went to the nearest cemetery to ask if they could bury their friend. The priest asked if he had been baptized catholic – and he had not. So the priest said that he could not be buried. Distraught they buried their friend right outside of the walls of the cemetery. The next day – the priest feeling guilty for not allowing the soldier to be buried within the walls –went outside and moved the fence, so that the soldiers grave would be inside.


There are barriers that still need to be torn down
People still need to bring them down.
Ephesians talks about the walls of our hearts. The ways that we define ourselves in order to exclude those who are not like us. There were still ways that the congregation was dividing itself. Jews felt that they could not associate with gentiles. Greeks felt they could not talk to barbarians. - Anyone who is not like me is an outsider was the mindset. Ephesians message was that through Christ we are a new people. We are one people. Like to priest of the cemetery. He doesn’t change the rules, he just expands them to include everyone else. He changes definitions. The jews separated themselves as a way to get close to God – Through Christ, we are all bought near to God.

Ephesians – we go from strangers to family
All people, no matter who we are go from strangers and aliens to citizens, saints, members of the household of God. We go from divided, suspicious, self destructive to unified, loving and most importantly hopeful.

There are Changes in language, Changes in understanding,
Changing the way we include people

Kindergarten story
There is a television documentary about a kindergarten teacher who noticed that the thing she heard most on the playground was “No you cant play with us”. So she made a rule that from now on, all children had to play with whomever asked to play. Even in kindergarten, the children protested. How could we play with anyone who asked. We have a right to define who we want to play with. Other kids in the school could not understand this rule either. Why would you play with just anyone? The kindergarten agreed that they would try to go along with the rule for a week. When they say it worked – they agreed to do it all of the time. It helped them to meet new friends. A few years later, the teacher saw one of her former students in the store. Lisa was twelve now. She asked her old teacher if she still used the play with anyone rule. Yes replied the teacher. Lisa told her teacher that she too stuck to the rule – if including anyone who wanted to play with her in her world. It was very difficult. She got a lot of flack from her friends. A lot of people did not understand her, even more criticized her. But it was important for her to carry on with the rule to learn to play with anyone.



How do we play with others?
Walls are beautiful things. They are an important part of our life. But they also keep us locked in, they trap us, they stop us from seeing what God is doing in the world, and they stop us from participating in the real work of God. God inside of our walls, but God is also in the world. God dwells in the homes created for God, but God also lives in the hearts of his people. Those inside and outside.
Who are the outsiders today? Who are the ones asking to play with us, and what are the ways that we tell them no? Today we live in a world that is so global, that we are neighborhood is bigger them we can comprehend. Jesus is calling us to think beyond being a good neighbor – to become a family of brothers and sisters. In spite of our differences, inspite of our different understandings – there is only one God. One god who has been with the people and always will. Where are we?