Tag: temple

2015.09.25: in our midst

This is the commitment I made to you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit remains in your midst; do not fear! 1 Hg 2:5

the Spirit of the Lord
is ever with us
even while in exile
far from our homeland

yet we know him not
even when the Word of the Lord
took on flesh and became man
becoming the model temple

we seek to know God with our mind
we sing his praises with our lips
yet we keep shut the door
to the temples of our hearts

little do we understand
the tenant can’t keep out the owner
let alone the architect and builder
he knows every nook and cranny

yet ever gentle he respects our will
but a parent never quits trying
only waiting for the stillness
to tug softly from the inside

2015.09.24: Temples

Now thus says the LORD of hosts:
Reflect on your experience!
You have sown much, but have brought in little;
you have eaten, but have not been satisfied;
You have drunk, but have not been exhilarated;
have clothed yourselves, but not been warmed;
And the hired worker labors for a bag full of holes. – 1 Hg 1:6

then we build temples
and we perform rituals
and we praise with our lips
and we worship with our minds
but our hearts remain in the world
troubled and perplexed
we peruse the Word of God
we argue the meanings
as if the Word is a collection of words
or a piece of art to be critiqued
and we fight with each other
over the way we perform the rituals
over the way we sing the songs
and we eat the Body
and we drink the Blood
yet we refuse to be transformed
and we feel more empty
than Adam in the Garden

but we don’t have to wait long
for the ways of the world
to reduce us to tears
to bring us to our knees
then and only then
in the depths of despair
in the grips of powerlessness
do we lift our gaze to heaven
and open our hearts to He
who has never left us
since the moment of creation

our God is with us
He is always with us
if only we stop
to sense His presence
and embrace His love
He’s not in the food
He’s not in the drink
He’s not in our pretenses
He’s not in the work
He’s in the Temples He created
waiting for us to be with Him

2015.08.18: signs

Gideon answered him, “If I find favor with you, give me a sign that you are speaking with me.” Jgs 6:17

Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?” – Mt 19:27

listen
oh you of little faith

I AM WHO AM

why must you always ask
for outward signs

be still
know that I am
with you always

if you must have a sign
look inward

sense
the river of compassion
rising in you

believe
it is the water of salvation
flowing from the Temple

I will remain with you
till the end

2015.07.17: temple of God

“I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.” – Mt 12:6

what is it that makes
a temple a temple?
it’s not the location
it’s not the architecture
it’s not the stone and mortar
it’s not he wood and nail
it’s not the stained-glass windows
it’s not the curtains
it’s not the candles
it’s not the incense
it’s not the pulpit
it’s not the statues
it’s not other religious icons
it’s not the inner sanctum
it’s not the sacrificial altar
it’s not the turtledoves, lamb, or bull
it’s not the priests

what makes a temple holy
is the presence of God
where God is present
even the ground is holy