Finally after many years, the Temple was completed, Solomon cuts the ribbon and God "comes home". It was such a powerful moment that the priests could not stand to minister in that place overwhelmed by God’s great presence. It must have been quite the moment. And I wonder what it would be like if we could feel and know the divine surrounding and filling this very sanctuary so much that we could not bear it. Could that happen here? There’s no reason why not, is there? What would it be like?
In the Temple on that first day, the presence of God was known. Then the promise of God is remembered. Solomon gives thanks for God’s loyalty and providence for bringing success and victory to David and his family line. Solomon publicly proclaims and celebrates the fact that God keeps promises.
From there, the prayers of God’s people ask for continued good grace and providence, mercy and forgiveness for all who pray towards that place. While the grandest human construction cannot contain the smallest aspect of God’s being, we hope that God’s favour would rest upon what we seek to do, upon everything that centres on the Temple.
But we know, as Solomon did, that nothing can limit or bottle up God. Not a temple, or synagogue, or cathedral, or church. The power and prestige of God goes beyond religious and cultural boundaries. God’s approval and blessing is shared with anyone, even foreign visitors from distant lands with different customs and traditions. Anyone who prays toward the Temple, that respects its purpose and its spirit will find favour with God.
All of that was what Solomon announced at the opening ceremony of the first Temple in Jerusalem. The presence of God, the promise of God, the prayers of God’s people and the power and prestige of God’s activity in the world. It was a big event with grandiose gestures and eloquent words. But more than just words, defining truths: presence, promise, prayer and power.
It’s safe to say that our own churches intended to embody and embrace these same principles. For all of the riches and opulence that Solomon outfitted the Temple with, he preached and promoted not the majesty of the building but of God’s activity in the world and our relationship to the Holy One.
To change around the words of the nursery rhyme: more than doors and steeples, the church as a people need to be open. I know that doesn’t even come close to rhyming in a catchy way and lacks accompanying hand action, but that needs to be a key feature – openness.
... The initial goal was to create space and opportunity for people to come to know God, in worship, contemplation, thanksgiving and confession. That’s where we were supposed to begin. Maybe we can get there still.
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