An Empty House

In Eastern Europe, many beautiful buildings have been repurposed.  On the outside, they continue to evoke images and imaginings of days and ages passed, when kings and emperors ruled.  We marvel at the construction and the hands that labored years, if not generations, to complete the testament to their faith.  I am talking about the churches, temples and mosques that continue to attract visitors, though most are tourists.

What will become of the empty houses of worship?

He told those who were selling the doves, 'Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!' - John 2:16

We are reminded in today's reading that Jesus had a problem with this.  Why did he go off the deep end when he saw money changers and retailers in the Temple?  Was he worried people would stop worshipping God and turn this sacred place into a shopping mall?

The reason I wonder is the doves.  They were mentioned in Luke when describing the purification of Jesus as a baby.

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” - Luke 2:22-24

In Leviticus, it is explained that this was the least possible offering for those who were poor.  So, Joseph and Mary may have been on Jesus' mind as he entered the Temple and found people selling these offerings at a high price, taking advantage of those who had too little to bring of their own.

There are layers to this story.  God's house is not just becoming a marketplace; it is where dishonest hawkers take advantage of the faithful.  To satisfy the law, people have no choice but to subject themselves to extortion, and that is more than just unacceptable.  It is criminal.

What Jesus sees as he enters the Temple is corruption.  How could the Temple Priests allow this?  We would never do such a thing.  We struggle to keep our doors open to everyone, and therein lies the challenge.

Over the generations, we have supported our houses well.  We revere them as sacred places and we have tied our lives and our heritage to them.  They house memorials to our dead, beautiful architecture, statues, glass and bronze, silver and gold.  And even though these buildings are not the church (for the people are the church), we need these places to stay alive and vital.  We can't let them be closed.  We need places to come together and be as one in our worship.  So, what do we do about those congregations that have too few worshippers to support the buildings.  Will we turn them into empty houses?

As we look for ways to increase our membership, it is important to remember the real reason we are doing this.  Our mission is to share the Good News, to bring more to Christ so they can see and hear for themselves, and understand that God loves them.  We don't need a building in which to do this.  We can do it anywhere, but the buildings have become a part of us.

If we focus all our attention on raising the money to feed the property, we will be no different than the Temple Priests who let the merchants rent space to sell doves to the poor.  We will be putting something before God.  But if we focus, instead on God and Love of His People, the flock will increase.

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. - Matthew 6:24