“But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in?’”
2 Samuel 7:4-5
In the year 2000, we stopped to visit Ely Cathedral in northern England on our way to Scotland. Once inside the main body of the cathedral, I remember looking up at the light streaming into the impossibly tall sanctuary, illuminating the most beautiful stained-glass windows I had ever seen. It was overwhelmingly awe-inspiring and magnificent, and I suddenly felt tears streaming down my face at the sheer beauty of it all. But in the next moment, I thought how much more awe-inspiring and beautiful God must be and how silly it was to try and build something that could not possibly contain Him or even come close to doing Him justice. So why do we build houses of worship … or why did God request of David to build Him a house?
Maybe the answer is that we build houses of worship for Us rather than for Him. While God is anywhere and everywhere, maybe the Body of Christ needs a gathering place … a focal point … where we can come together as a community of faith to worship God, where we can feel supported by and support each other as believers … a place where we can organize our efforts to be His servants in the world. And maybe this brick-and-mortar building can also serve as a reminder to people living and passing nearby that this place is a sanctuary, a place where they can find mercy and grace and love. Unity is a place that reminds this generation as well as generations past and those to come that God lives here as long as we keep Him in our hearts.
Prayer: Dear Holy Father, in many ways, you are beyond our imagination or ability to comprehend. We can’t conceive of a God who is omnipresent and omnipotent … someone who created the stars and the planets and an entire universe beyond, yet someone who is nearer to us than our own breath. Forgive us when our minds are too small to understand you but let us praise you and thank you for coming to dwell with us … 2,000 years ago and today. Amen
Christy Stephens