July 4, 2020,
Good afternoon,
" Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. " Ephesians 2: 19-21
What is the most beautiful building that you have been in in your life ? Is it a house or a skyscraper, a barn, or a mall ? Building and the space that they occupy are very important. Owners pay planners and architects big money to design a building that will meet the needs of the client. I know a church paid their building consultant over $250,000 to make sure the present needs of the church and its members would be met in the new space. What is your favourite spot in your house or apartment ? Where is the place that you can most relax ?
My favourite building the world is in Istanbul, Turkey, and it is called Hagia Sophia ( Holy Wisdom ). It was built as a church in 537, and for four hundred years was a mosque( 1453-1931 ), and since 1935 it has been a museum. It was the largest structure in the world for 1000 years. It was first a Byzantium Church, and so every spot in the church has spiritual meaning. It was not used as a community center or a meeting place: it was a place to meet God. I have been to see it seven times, and it is spectacular each time that I have been inside.
In Ephesians here, the author has the building or construction theme. There is the foundation, the cornerstone, the building being joined together, and the Temple. The ancients had many temples, stadiums and theatres in their communities, so they knew about big buildings. At the end of these three short verses, the writer says that we are being built together to live by the Spirit. This moves us from the building blocks to the spiritual sense of the community. Every church/congregation is made up of all kinds of spiritual building materials. We need to live by the Spirit.
We have now been out of our building since March 15, and that is 111 days. We have probably never been closed for two consecutive Sundays, and now we have been out of the building for worship for almost four months. What have you missed about the space ? How have you grown in your Spirit, since we have not been able to meet ? What space has God occupied during this time ? How has your thinking changed about the building ?
Number 1 in our Blue Hymnal takes on a different meaning as we have lived in these last 111 days.
Prayer
What is this place, where we are meeting?
Only a house, the earth its floor.
Walls and a roof, sheltering people,
Windows for light, an open door.
Yet it becomes a body that lives
When we are gathered here,
And know our God is near.
Fred
Tread on bold new paths !
Fireflies flash the direction
Hope springs eternal Monica Pieper Landoni 2020
Fred Redekop
Pastor
Poole Mennonite Church
Ponder Anew 