Today's Scripture Reading (January 27, 2022): Deuteronomy 26
A couple of decades ago, I was involved with a church
that was considering a move. The church building had become run down, parking
had been an issue for several years, and a piece of land at the edge of the
city had become available. And so, the church began to consider whether it wanted to
move. As an Associate Pastor still learning the ropes, I remember going to my
boss and asking this question; "What does God want for us?" I was confused. The future seemed to exist at the
edge of the city.
Our
contemporary reality of the modern church is that we seem to keep moving to
the edge of our communities because that is where the land is available to build our
dreams. But in the process, we lose much-needed influence on the inner portions of our communities.
My dream has always been to buy an old grocery store closer to the heart of the city (grocery stores usually have lots of parking space
available) and repurpose the building for the church. But that is an expensive
proposition. So, when I asked the question, I felt the question was important. More than anything, I wanted to be
where God wanted me to be.
I remember my boss's answer to my query. According to him, God didn't care where we were. I think it might have been more
of a reluctance to put too much importance on one reality over another. In the
end, we came just short of raising the money we needed to buy the property, so the move didn't happen. But decades later, the question still deserves a serious answer.
As Israel stands on the edge of the Promised Land, Moses tells the
people to bring a sacrifice of the firstfruits to the Tabernacle. It is something that they haven't
done in the wilderness because there were no "firstfruits." But Moses adds this phrase. "Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his
Name." It wasn't, go to the place
where the nation's leadership will decide; it was the place that God had chosen
for the Tabernacle to be placed. God would make the choice.
While
Israel worked at taking the Promised Land, the Tabernacle would reside at
Gilgal. After the conquest of the Promised Land, the Tabernacle was moved to
Shiloh in the territory inherited by the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph.
And at Shiloh, the Tabernacle stayed for the next 300 years. But then it moved,
first to Bethel and then to Nob, near the hometown of Saul. And finally, David
had the Tabernacle brought to Jerusalem as the King tried to consolidate both the
secular and sacred power in his city. But the common theme after Shiloh seemed
to be that the Tabernacle ended up where a leader wanted it, rather than the
place that God had chosen for it to reside. And therefore, it suffered at the
will of political leaders, and the will of God became a secondary concern.
My
boss might have been right, and God didn't care where our church would end up.
But I remain unconvinced. But I am also still not sure where God wanted his
church to be, but I wonder if it was a question that should have been asked
more forcefully before monetary restraints made the decision for us. After all,
in the modern world and the absence of a Tabernacle or a Temple, I believe that
the Christian Church is the place where the name of God resides. And maybe we
would act differently if we really thought of the church in that manner.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 27
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