The Temple and the Presence
Psalm 84; 1 Kings 6:1-4, 21-22; 1 Corinthians 3:10-23
Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
One of the things that I really like about reading the lectionary is that we get this passages that interconnect on similar themes. In Psalm 84 and 1 Kings we get these discussions about the Temple. We learn of its majesty and glory.
Then we come 1 Corinthians 3 and Paul says that the followers of Jesus are the Temple.
Mind blowing!
I am not sure that we truly grasp the ramifications of this re-framing.
Why do people love being at the Temple and why was the Temple with such majesty and glory? Because the Temple was believed to the place where God was present. Now, we have Paul saying, “You are the Temple! God is in you!”
This passage is often used as an argument for eating healthy, exercising, and not drinking alcohol or not smoking. That totally misses the entire point! That’s not at all what Paul is saying here. With the people of God now being the Temple, it means that wherever we are God is. Congregational buildings are no more holy than a coffee shop or a bar. There is nothing special about them. What makes them special is the people in them. When followers of Jesus gather together it is a veritable collection temples!
“Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
This quote from Lewis is more true than any of us realize!
The question I’m wrestling with today is, “Do I believe what Paul says? Is the very presence of God all around me in all these people?”