Today’s
Scripture Reading (June 25, 2019): Psalm
84
I have a high view of the church. We are the Body of
Christ. It is what we miss in Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 11. When Paul
argues that “those who eat and drink without
discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves” (1
Corinthians 11:29) he is not talking about the crucified body of Jesus. He is
pointing directly at the Christian Church. When you do not realize who you are,
and who that person is who is standing next to you, that you collectively are
the Body of the Christ, then you eat and drink judgment on yourself.
Taking the illustration to the next
level, the idea that we are the Body of Christ reveals our purpose on this
planet. Jesus did not come to judge and condemn the world. Jesus was very clear
on this point. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send
his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17). This becomes the description of who we are
if we are truly the Body of Christ. Unfortunately, too often, we would rather
judge and condemn the world. But then, once again, we lose sight of who we are
as the body of Christ. Or in Paul’s words, we stop “discerning the body of
Christ.”
The Psalmist begins his Psalm with
the familiar words, “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty.” The Psalmist, if it was
David, was speaking of the Tabernacle. But the words apply just as equally to
the Temple of Solomon that followed the Tabernacle, and to the smaller Temple
of Zerubbabel that was built after the Babylonian Captivity. The words describe
the Herodian expansion of the Second Temple before it was finally destroyed by
the Romans. And the words apply to the current dream of a future Temple that
might someday once again stand on Temple Mount.
But, as Christians, they should also apply
to us. We are the dwelling place of God. Not our churches or places of worship.
We, the people. We are the Body of Christ. And if we are doing our jobs, people
should look upon the Christian Community and echo the words of the Psalmist,
“How lovely is your dwelling place.” But something has gone horribly wrong. And
the proof is found in a simple Google search. Type in Why are Christians? … and
let your computer finish the sentence. Why are Christians mean? Why are
Christians judgmental? Why are Christians fanatics? Why are Christians
conservative? Why are Christians Republicans? Why are Christians for Trump?
What is missing? The query “Why are Christians lovely” will not be revealed by
your computer. But I am convinced that it should if we are doing our job.
Something has to change because the Psalmist is right. “How lovely is your
dwelling place, Lord Almighty.”
And that should include us.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 85
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