Today’s Scripture Reading (January
16, 2014): Hosea 8
During the
final years of the fifteenth century, the Christian Church appeared to be an
organization that was out of control. Large building programs and the greedy
appetites of those in charge of the church had left church finances in serious trouble.
As a result of the financial pressure, the church began to step up its campaign
of selling indulgences (basically selling an early entrance for loved ones that
had died to enter into heaven – all for a fee paid to the church) as well as
the sale of positions in the church hierarchy. Even the office of Pope was
available to the highest bidder. It was not that these practices had not been
present in the years leading up to this time. But the practice seemed to be
becoming more and more common place. The idea seemed to be that the building of
elaborate buildings was essential for the faith – as well as the high cost of
taking care of those in charge of taking care of the church. The amount of
money that could be made from these positions is what drove the amount of money
that people paid for these positions in an upward direction. But all of this
resulted in a conflict inside of the church.
The
Protestant Reformation resulted from this conflict inside the established
church. But this era in the church left us addicted to buildings, an addiction
that we have never been able to shake. Massive churches with unique (and often
expensive) architecture have been the norm in almost every generation since the
first church began to be constructed. A number of years ago I had the privilege
of sitting in a University ‘Intro to Sociology’ course where my professor
railed for an entire class on one church’s elaborate plan to build a church in
his neighbourhood - complete with indoor and outdoor fountains (and it didn’t
help that it happened to be the church that I was attending at the time.) But I
couldn’t really fault my professor for his rant. The plans for the new church
went far beyond what was necessary. But then again, defining what is necessary
has never been our strong point.
But the real
problem is that we are bringing up Christians that almost seem to treat the
church buildings as if they are God. But they are not. They are simply spaces
where the church meets – and really any space will do. God does not inhabit a
church because of the grandness of the architecture; God inhabits the church
because it is the place where we gather. We are the church and the dwelling
places for our God – and really it has always been that way.
Israel had
set up two calves to worship within its territory. It might have been that
originally they were set up simply as a place to worship God, but by the time
of Hosea these places of worship had definitely become objects of worship. The
practice had been stolen from Egypt, except that in Egypt the cows were alive.
But these calves were just statues that had been built by the hands men – and unworthy
of the worship of man. And in the end, the calves of Samaria and the churches
of our nations will be torn down and left in ruin, but that should be okay
because they are, after all, just buildings. But Hosea knew that that was not
the case for Israel. Their faith was in two calves that would one day be
smashed to pieces – and the gold would be melted down and used for other
secular decorations. Their gods would leave them vulnerable, while the real God
of Israel stood on the sideline and watched – unwanted by the very people that
he loved. And that combination would be their doom.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Hosea 9
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