This architectural marvel lets you know this is where God lives. Not Salt Lake City, Jerusalem, Mecca or the former Branch Davidian compound. I guess those blank "tablets" are meant to suggest what Charlton Hesston was carrying on his arm in Cecil B. DeMille's epic film "The Ten Commandments".Except that these are blank. God must have accidentally hit the delete key and failed to back up the work. Next time, Father, save it to a non-rewritable CD.
Better yet, write it on our hearts. I think you even had the prophet Jeremiah say something about that once. And I think Jesus said the kingdom of God was very near, perhaps even within us. Nice thought. Awesome reality.
Every time people build buildings and temples and arks and tabernacles and think God lives there, we end up thinking that we are the landlords, not the tennants. And we end up acting more like guards at the gates of a detention camp. Or a prison.
Early Christians understood not only the communion bread as the body of Christ but that they themselves were that body. Harks back to creation and the notion of having the actual breath of God in us.
While we ponder all that, we'd better be mindful of the NO PARKING notice just a few feet from the Home Of God. God may be out doing errands. Wouldn't want to be hogging his space when He drives up to unload the groceries or the 72-inch plasma TV He just bought with the stimulus check. Might result in a flood or something. We need to be very mindful of our words, especially of our God-words. After all, I did my parish internship at a Lutheran Church called "Family of Christ".
Goodness, a family! I didn't even know He'd been married. Not exactly true. I did hear about a bride once. So who are the kids? What are their names and ages?
And people insist that God-language can only be taken literally. As Joseph Sittler often admonished the church, "Watch your language!"
Pax,
Roger
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