House of God - repreach

July 22, 2018 Year B Reproach of 7/19/09 2 Samuel 7:1-14 Ephesians 2:11-22 You Gentiles are ... now ... members of the family of God. (v. 19, TEV) Object: a globe. Lesson: Boys and girls, I brought a globe to church today. I wonder if you can find our state on this globe. (Let them help you find it.) How about our city. Is it big enough to be on here or can't we find it? Can we see how big our country is on the globe? It's pretty big, isn't it. Now let's find a little tiny country. We want to find Palestine, where Jesus lived when he was in our world. (Let them help you find it.) It certainly isn't very big, is it! And just think what big and important things God did in that tiny little country. Why it isn't much bigger than New Hampshire! Now, just suppose God decided that he would only be friends with the people in Palestine, where Jesus lived. What would you think of that? (Talk about it.) We wouldn't like that very much, would we. Of course not. We would say, "Wait a minute. What about us? Our country is much bigger than Palestine. Aren't we good enough for God's love too?" Well, the answer is that nobody is really "good enough" for God's love. But God is good enough to share it with the whole world anyway. He started with the little tiny country of Palestine. Then he shared it with the people over here (show them Asia Minor) and then here (move to Greece) and then here (Italy) and later on to all of here (show them Europe) and finally places like our country (show them where it is again) and Africa and Asia and South America. Aren't we lucky that God was not selfish with his love? God didn't just share his love with a few people. He wants the whole world to be in his family. If God can love all those people, we can try to love them too. CSS Publishing Co., Ephesians 2:11-22 Common English Bible (CEB) The reconciliation of God’s people 11 So remember that once you were Gentiles by physical descent, who were called “uncircumcised” by Jews who are physically circumcised. 12 At that time you were without Christ. You were aliens rather than citizens of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of God’s promise. In this world you had no hope and no God. 13 But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who once were so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. 15 He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace. 16 He reconciled them both as one body to God by the cross, which ended the hostility to God. 17 When he came, he announced the good news of peace to you who were far away from God and to those who were near. 18 We both have access to the Father through Christ by the one Spirit. 19 So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household. 20 As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord.22 Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible 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. Churches are beautiful buildings dedicated to God. We just got someone asking to get married in our sanctuary, because it was such a beautiful place. 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. 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. 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?