February 9, 2010
By Beth DeCristofaro
(Solomon) said, “LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below; you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants who are faithful to you with their whole heart. “Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth? If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which I have built! Look kindly on the prayer and petition of your servant, O LORD, my God, and listen to the cry of supplication which I, your servant, utter before you this day. May your eyes watch night and day over this temple, the place where you have decreed you shall be honored… (1 Kings 8:23, 27-29)
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” (Jesus) went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! (Mark 7:8-9)
Piety
May the light of God
illumine the heart of my soul.
May the flame of Christ
kindle me to love.
May the fire of the Spirit
free me to live
this day, tonight and for ever.
J. Philip Newell (from Celtic Benediction: Morning and Night Prayer)
Study
May your eyes watch night and day over this temple, the place where you have decreed you shall be honored… (1 Kings 8:29) Solomon’s beautiful, inspired prayer refers to the temple which he had built to house the Ark of the Covenant and glorify the God of Israel. But the passage also reads as a prayer for those who are Christ’s chosen people. We are living temples of Christ’s presence and love in the world. What an awesome endowment and responsibility! The psalmist sings: My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (Psalm 84:3) God is nourishment, impetus and font of everything that we are.
Henri Nouwen, in Bread for the World says: “Calling God ‘Abba, Father’ is a cry of the heart, a prayer welling up from our innermost beings. It has nothing do with naming God but everything to do with claiming God as the source of who we are. This claim does not come from any sudden insight or acquired conviction; it is the claim that the Spirit of Jesus makes in communion with our spirits. It is the claim of love.”
Just as the Israelites carried the
Action
“Salt, when dissolved in water, may disappear, but it does not cease to exist. We can be sure of its presence by tasting the water. Likewise, the indwelling Christ, though unseen, will be made evident to others from the love which he imparts to us. (Sadhu Sundar Singh)[1] Singh was a convert to Christianity in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. He devoted his life to spreading Christ to people in Northern India and
Do we leave our Christ-center locked up, private, safe in our Arks? Is the practice of our Christianity private, centered on those like us? Do we dare to eat with sinners, converse respectfully with unbelievers? Can we be audacious, letting the Spirit infuse our sinfulness and unbelief as we boldly walk – maybe even dance - unknown paths in a fallen world? Will others taste the salt of our delight as we bring Christ to them?
