All the Peoples of the Earth
Proper 16B
1 Kings 8:22-30,41-43; Ps. 84;
Eph. 6:10-20; Jn. 6:56-69
8/23/09
Lorraine Ljunggren

        The ark of the covenant, in which rest the two tablets of stone on which is inscribed the Law, the ten commandments, given to Moses and the people of Israel at Mount Horeb – the ark of the covenant is brought to Jerusalem and placed in the inner sanctuary of the newly completed Temple. The ark has and continues to symbolize God’s presence among the people of Israel.
        
        Once duly in place, King Solomon dedicates the Temple to God. The king stands before the altar with the people assembled and prays, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart…” Solomon’s prayer asks, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built!” The king goes on to ask that God hear the prayers of the people of Israel whenever they pray towards that place. And, then comes what some of us may have forgotten or not known is included in the king’s prayer: “Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name …when a foreigner comes and prays towards this house, then hear in heaven your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and [stand in awe of] you...” (2Kgs.8:23, 27, 41, 42b-43a)
        
        In reading this passage several things leap off the page for me. The first is acknowledging that God cannot be contained in any one place, but is greater than any place we human beings can imagine. And, yet, having a tangible place set aside, named and sanctified for the worship of God and for gathering intentionally as God’s people is something we humans need. Another thing to note is the need for the people to walk always before God with all their heart – our relationship with God is to be the primary relationship in the lives of God’s people. Then there is the petition of the king asking God to hear the prayers of foreigners which, to me, is akin to naming that place a house of prayer for all people.
        
        All these things speak boldly of one of Israel’s most important gifts to the world and that is monotheism. There is but one God. This gift and how we are to respond to the truth there is One Creator God is expressed in a summary of the Law: “The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mk. 12:29-31; BCP 351)
        
        This is the summary of the Law which Jesus recounts to the disciples in the Gospel of Mark. These commandments need to be the foundation of all of our ministries here at St. Mark’s. These are commandments we would do well to commit to memory and to teach to our children and youth until they know them backwards and forward, but most importantly showing them and others that we all follow these commandments on a daily basis. This summary of the Law certainly is foundational to the promises we make in Baptism.
        
        When we bring Ava Caroline Colon to the waters of Baptism this morning, we will make some serious promises in answer to a series of questions about how we will all live a Christian life. [At the 8:30 service this morning we brought Ava Caroline Colon to the waters of Baptism. When we did so we answered a series of questions about how we will all live a Christian life.] If the words of those promises are new to any of us, I pray we’ll take them to heart. If the words of the promises are familiar and well-known, I pray we’ll once again take them to heart.
        
        I believe that the content of the Baptismal promises need to be front and center of our lives every day, and as soon as we have language skills to understand them, to learn the words, we’re then to put into practice what the words say. It is no accident that when we have our classes on these promises in the Season of Lent each year, we often refer to them as ‘where the rubber meets the road.’ We say this is where we get our grip – they help keep us from sliding off course. Yes, it takes commitment and energy to live up to our promises but, oh the difference it makes for us and especially for others!

        ‘Continuing in the apostles teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers. Persevering in resisting evil and whenever falling into sin, repenting and returning to the Lord. Proclaiming by word and example the Good News of God in Christ. Seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves. Striving for justice and peace among all people, and respecting the dignity of every human being.’ These are all expressions of the Summary of the Law. Each promise speaks volumes about our relationship to God and to one another.

        All these ideas have been swirling around me this week. Perhaps these promises and the reading from the First Book of Kings are such a focus for me because of all the chances and changes through which we are going as a community. Perhaps the prayer of the dedication of the Temple and the words of the Psalmist have risen to the top of our biblical readings for me because I believe having this place set aside for worship and service is so very important. Having a community of faith of which I am a part sustains and encourages me, strengthens and comforts me.

        When I look back over my life, I can say, yes, my parents did their best to teach me to be a moral person. They sent me off to Vacation Bible School and to Sunday school sometimes. But, as I grew older these words of the Psalmist resonated with me, “How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God…Happy are the people whose strength is in you! Whose hearts are set on the pilgrims’ way.” (Ps. 84:1, 4)

        Like the people of Israel, I need a place in which the seeds of my faith are nurtured and fed, in which I can pray knowing my prayers are sheltered by the hearts of others of God’s people as well as by God, in which I and those I love can find inspiration to put the words of our faith into action.

        And, so, like Solomon, I give thanks for having a tangible place set aside, named and sanctified for the worship of God and for gathering intentionally as God’s people. I give thanks for St. Mark’s. I also pray fervently that those who find us on their own, and those who need us to help them find their way here will, indeed, find this to be a house of prayer for all people. Amen.


©2009 Lorraine Ljunggren