'I have been with you wherever you went'

Introduction

A nice big house, on a decent sized block, in a good neighbourhood. It’s been the suburban dream for the average Australian for many years. Of course, it’s not so attainable for many younger people these days, but here in Adelaide, we still have it a little easier than our east coast friends.

Old Testament Reading

The desire for a place to put down roots, to have a permanent piece of ground we can call our own, is a deeply rooted desire for most. Our first reading today finds King David at a time in his life where he has accomplished this. He is no longer the fugitive outlaw, Robin Hood type character he has been throughout the first book of Samuel, scurrying around trying to avoid the ire of King Saul. He is now king of Israel in his own right, having earned the respect of his nation, and the fear of his enemies. Life has settled down, and his thoughts turn to God.

In last Sunday’s Old Testament reading we heard the story of David bringing the ark of God up to Jerusalem. For the Hebrews, the ark was their most powerful sacrament of God’s presence. It was so holy, and so charged with divine power, that to disrespect it or even just touch it, spelt instant death. And yet, this most holy object was housed in a tent.

Understandably then, King David desires to give the ark of God a more dignified dwelling. And when he shares this idea with his friend Nathan the prophet, Nathan heartily endorses it. But then God speaks to Nathan and, against all expectation, rejects King David’s idea.

God’s presence, enshrined in the ark, has always been on the move, and has always been in a tent. God has travelled with his people everywhere they have gone, through their wilderness wanderings, and into the Promised Land. But then another surprise. God’s presence isn’t just in the ark that travelled with Israel and which was eventually housed in Shiloh, God’s presence was with David, from the time he was a humble shepherd in the Judean hills through to the present time where he is prince over all Israel, living in a fine house of cedar in Jerusalem. God is not pinned down, God will be with those God loves, wherever they are. Even when David’s son Solomon eventually builds an awe-inspiring house for God, he acknowledges in prayer at the dedication, ‘Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!’ (2 Chronicles 6:18).

Application

There are two important theological ideas at play here. The first is that God cannot be contained within a temple or a church. Philosophers and theologians would call this ‘omnipresence.’ God is everywhere, all at once. The second important idea here is that God is present in a special way to those whom God loves.

Isaiah 57:15 beautifully captures this tension, ‘For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit.’

And in our second reading today, this theme crops up again. Jews and Gentiles have been united by the sacrifice of our Lord, and we are now called to be built up together into a temple for God, a place where God will be present in a special way.

The presence of God isn’t necessarily something we think about a lot. And yet, God is always there within reach. Of course, we might know that intellectually, but it’s not always something we feel.

Here is a short excerpt from a letter of Evelyn Underhill to a friend addressing this point,

Don’t be troubled because you do not feel these things emotionally- the focus of religion is will, not feeling, isn’t it? Try, gently without strain, to turn your Psalms and your own thoughts and desires into prayers. Simple acts of communion with God- and if and when that experience of silent peace you describe returns, accept and remain in it gratefully, but don’t deliberately force it. Remember God is acting on your soul all the time, whether you have spiritual sensations or not.

We cannot force our feelings, and often we struggle to slow down, to step away from the things we busy ourselves with, and take time to open ourselves up to God’s presence. Modern psychology espouses the benefits of mindfulness, of slowing down and focusing on the current moment and on the things and people in our immediate vicinity. Of course, this is wisdom the church is well aware of, having being practiced in various ways by monastics, clergy, and lay people for centuries. And we have many aids to help us - the written liturgies of the prayer book, prayer beads or rosaries, icons and other spiritual art, beautiful churches like this one, with stained glass, and embroidery, and reminders of our ancestors in faith - the saints of the church catholic and our immediate predecessors memorialised in various ways within this place. And God also meets us through people, sometimes through wonderful holy people, and sometimes through people with few virtues and little awareness of God. The right word at the right time, the friend we bumped into right when we needed to, that pastoral person who let us bare our souls when we needed it.

And, of course, as we gather this Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist, as the church has done for centuries, we receive in bread and wine an assurance of divine love, and the strengthening of God’s gracious presence with us in this place, and every place.