Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them. In accordance with all that I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, July 8, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Earlier in Exodus, God only wanted a simple altar of earth. Now God wants something much fancier. Gold, silver, bronze, rich yarns and fine linens, leather and acacia wood, onyx stones and gems. I wonder why this changed.
Which leads me to wonder about all of the trappings of our religious observance and what they mean to me. There are elements to my weekly worship that are universal no matter where I attend. They may look different, but the bread plate and wine chalice are unmistakable, the altar and pulpit familiar and comfortable, the cross—in a breathtaking variety of presentations—still central. Beyond these most basic things, is anything needed? And, one might ask, are even these elements required to commune with God?
Of course, God doesn’t need any of it. It’s not for God. It’s for us. These earthly things made by human hands do not contain God, but they allow us to center ourselves in God’s presence. They provide focal points, and by their universality, they connect us to all Christians everywhere, a profound reminder of our oneness in Christ throughout time and space. I may not care for the idea of opulent, extravagant trappings being required by God for God’s worship, but this text, and all the texts surrounding the construction of the temple, are really just one more way of God’s people proclaiming who they are and whose they are, and their profound desire for God to be present with them in all things.
What physical items help me to center myself in God’s presence?