God Is Near & Good To His People

9.7.25 [1 Kings 8] River of Life (13th Sunday after Pentecost)

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. His name is worthy of praise. Amen. 

It was the achievement of a lifetime. It was the realization of his father David’s dying wish. And it was impressive. The temple that Solomon constructed was ornate and awe-inspiring. Constructed out of dressed stones and expensive woods like olive, juniper, and cedar. Overlaid with almost 300 metric tons of gold, more than 500 metric tons of silver, not to mention bronze and iron. Skilled craftsmen spent seven years constructing this Temple and adorning it with precious gems and elaborate carvings.  Gourds and lilies and pomegranates. Lions and bulls and cherubim angels. No corners were cut. No expenses were spared. Nothing but the best for this jewel of Jerusalem. It was the pride and joy of the people of Israel and the crowning achievement of Solomon’s reign.  

But as Solomon and the people celebrated the grand opening of the Temple, they didn’t have a big ribbon-cutting ceremony. 1 Kings doesn’t mention orchestral bands or choirs of singers. When King Solomon and the people dedicated the Temple, they did so with a great number of sacrifices. They sacrificed cattle and sheep and goats and grain. 1 Kings 8 tells us that Solomon himself 1 Kg. 8:63 offered twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats as fellowship offerings. In a fellowship offering, the best portion was burned to the Lord, and the rest was shared with the priests and the people. In addition to these offerings, there were so many burnt offerings that 1 Kg. 8:5 they couldn’t count them all up. There was so many offerings that the bronze altar they made was 1 Kg. 8:64 too small for everything that was brought. It was a day of sacrifice!

The time, the treasures, and the talents the people of Israel invested in building this Temple are jaw-dropping. One German professor estimated the expenditure to be no less than $30 billion. For comparison’s sake, SoFi Stadum (the world’s most expensive sports stadium built to date), home to the L.A. Rams and San Diego Chargers, cost around $6 billion to construct. 

But as Solomon stood in front of the whole assembly of Israel, he wasn’t beating his chest, or patting himself on the back, or high-fiving.

He wasn’t beaming with pride. He’s humbled. King Solomon was 1 Kg. 8:54 kneeling, with his hands spread out to heaven. He saw this Temple as a testament to God’s faithfulness, not his own strategic leadership or his people’s hard work. 1 Kg. 8:24 Lord, you have kept your promise to your servant David, my father, with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today. 

As he acknowledged God’s faithfulness, Solomon also recognized the impossible endeavor of this building project. A temple cannot contain God. Nothing on earth or even the highest heavens could do that! 

But the Temple does have a special function. It is the place where the Lord chose to make his name dwell. It is the place God chose to make his presence abide. It is the place where he 1 Kg. 8:30 hears prayers, 1 Kg. 8:30 forgives sins, and 1 Kg. 8:55 blesses his people. 

But what does that have to do with us today? Today isn’t a fancy dedication. It’s not even a festival service like Christmas or Easter or Ascension or Pentecost. Other than the golden trays behind me, this place looks nothing like Solomon’s Temple. We might share some donuts, but we don’t offer animal sacrifices. 

All of that is true. But none of that is what made the Temple special. What made the Temple special is the same thing that makes this place, this time, this gathering something of immeasurable worth. 

And it’s easy for us to lose sight of that, isn’t it? We live in a time and place where sacred spaces are hard to find. Spiritual time is hard to carve out. We live in a society that often says: I feel God’s presence in the mountains or on the lake more than I do in a church service. We battle a sinful nature that accosts us with all kinds of distractions, disturbances, and doubts. 

If you spend any time in prayer or praise or meditating on the Word of God, you will encounter distractions. At times, the demands of Monday encroach on your Sabbath rest. We fixate on what someone else is wearing or the football game that afternoon—things that have no real impact on our present reality or our eternity. We grumble internally when a song is hard to sing or the temperature’s not quite right. We notice all the people who are missing instead of rejoicing about those who are with us today. 

At times, we are disturbed by what happens in worship. We may not like acknowledging that we deserve God’s punishment now and in eternity. We may hear words of rebuke that make us uncomfortable. We may have sins laid bare that we’ve tried to bury in our minds. We may hear God’s commands that go far beyond what we think is reasonable or wise.  

Then there are the doubts that assault us. We doubt that Baptism can really do such wonderful things today. We doubt that a sinful man can tell us our sins are forgiven with any real authority. We doubt that God’s Word  is reliable and without error. We doubt  God’s Son is really enough to address the deep problems of our hearts and world. We doubt that Jesus’ body and blood can really be present in wafers and wine. We doubt that God continues to bless and keep us when we struggle so much—our sins keep embarrassing him and our broken promises keep letting him down. 

So what’s the point? Why should we keep gathering for worship Sunday after Sunday when we encounter so many distractions, disturbances, and doubts? Wouldn’t it be better if we treated worship like a spiritual oil change—every six months or 5,000 miles? Then we could make it a bigger and better deal. 

Maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised that when and where God promises to meet us, Satan sets his sights. Maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised that where God presents his finest gifts, the old Evil Foe does his best Grinch impression—lashing out at the ones God loves. God does great things for his people in worship. 

First, God promises his presence. We don’t have to hunt him down. We don’t have to figure out where he’s headed. We don’t have to climb up to heaven’s throne room. God descends to be among us each time we gather in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ. We don’t have to guess what God is thinking or imagine what he might say. He speaks to us in his inspired and reliable Word. He connects with us individually through the waters of Baptism and the elements of the Lord’s Supper. God meets us, even in the most humble places. 

And when God meets us in Word and Sacrament, we receive mercy and forgiveness instead of the wrath and punishment we deserve. God does not give us a check-list of things to do to get in his good graces. We are not even merely given a clean slate. We are given eternal confidence. You are a recipient of his mercy. You have received the gifts of his grace. Your sins are forgiven. You have perpetual peace with God because of his Son. You are his Temple. 

The focal point of each Sunday’s worship service is what all those burnt offerings were anticipating but could never achieve on their own. When we gather together around God’s Word and Sacraments, we do so with resolve—concentrating on 1 Cor. 2:2 Christ crucified for us and for our salvation. We meditate on his mercy. We fixate on his faithfulness to the law and his love for sinners like us. Sunday after Sunday, God opens his Word to us and we see Ps. 119:18 wonderful things that help us deal with the distractions, disturbances, and doubts of life in this world. 

The sure hope of every worship service is a city that puts that Temple to shame. As incredible and as awe-inspiring as Solomon’s Temple must have been, it couldn’t hold a candle to the heavenly city of Jerusalem. There is no Temple in that city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The glory of God gives it light. There are many good things that occupy our time in this world, but worship will consume us for eternity. 

And each time we gather here, in God’s house, around God’s Word, with God’s people, we get a foretaste of the eternal glory of heaven. Here, in an elementary school cafeteria, God gifts us rest, refreshment, and renewal. 

Here we can rest from the labor of trying to be good enough. We lay down all the excuses for our sins and humbly ask God to be faithful to his promise to forgive. We stop running from our guilt and shame and turn to Christ and live. We don’t need to work to earn God’s favor because Jesus has secured it for us with his life, death, and resurrection.

Here we are refreshed with the good news of great joy that is for all the people. A Savior has been born for us. He has lived for you. He has offered himself as a sacrifice of atonement for your sins and the sins of the world. He refreshes your soul with the assurance of his faithfulness. Conditions and circumstances and even you may change, but Jesus Christ is constant. Unchanging. The same yesterday, today, and forever. Nothing puts our doubts to bed like being reminded that God is always good to his Word. Nothing renews us more than being reminded that God will not lose a single one of his children and that he is actively working through all things for our eternal good. 

By giving us rest, refreshment, and renewal each time we gather together in his Name, he is keeping that last promise. All peoples on earth, even we, who are separated from Solomon and his Temple by time and distance, know that the Lord is God. Rev. 5:12 Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! Amen.