Creation is God’s Temple. How Shall We Build It?
As I have said when I was planning this series on prayer and creation I used the book “Before Amen” that of Spirit Circle is studing and the resource of Trees in the Bible. This week at the book study on prayer we talked about why do we consider God good? And how can we trust in the goodness of God when God allows the world to be such a mess? The tree resource takes a different course all together by holding up a story of Hiram the King of Tyre (which is now southern Lebanon ) sending cedars to King Solomon as he begins to build the great temple in Jerusalem. I could not have predicted the world events that have unfolded. The invasion of Lebanon; the assassination of countless Hezbollah leaders in what would have been considered a terrorist way if anybody except Israel had done it. For example there has been international condemnation when Russia tried not once but twice to assassinate President Zelinski of Ukraine. On top of this a member of the congregation sent me a video that points to all prophecies that coming true including Iran’s response to the assassinations and invasion of Lebanon. This video suggests that we are in the Last Days and Jesus is coming back.
I must confess that I kept coming to the sanctuary to practice the anthem for today, Blessed be the Name of the Lord just to calm my heart and ground me as I sought wisdom for myself and something I might be able to share with you. Now my first inclination is to react to the evils of the Hamas attack last year and the evil of what can only be called genocide by Israeli forces in Gaza and beyond. Now last year I was thinking why would Hamas poke the bear. Israel has the largest, best trained and equipped army in the middle east. Couldn’t Hamas predict the horrendous response?
Our Moderator The Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne told us that a good 6 month before the October 7th attack world faith leaders were looking at and hearing about terrible violence enacted by Israeli settlers towards Palestinians and the world faith leaders were warning that if Israel didn’t step in to act justly than something terrible was going to happen. Now maybe the Israeli government that has stood back or even approved of that settler violence arrogantly thought we’re the bear who would be crazy enough to poke the bear? They guessed wrong.
When Israel blew up all those Hezbollah leader in another country like Iran, preemptively, did think we’re the bear, we can do what we want and who will dare poke us back? Once again I think they are wrong. They were just as wrong as Hamas. If Israel or Hamas are truly seeking peace then violence isn’t the way and it never was.
In the book of Judges we hear of a Israelite general by the name of Jephthah who was asked by the people of Israel to protect them against what was considered an act of aggression by the Ammonite people. The first thing Jephthah does was send a letter to the Ammonites asking why they were rising up against Israel? The Ammonites replied, when Israel came out of the desert from the land of Egypt you took land from a number of tribe including for us the Ammonites, and now we want it back.
Whether Biblical history or the history all around today us we have failed to learn that peace through violence is not peace at all. It only plants seeds of a future violent conflict. Two weeks ago I made the case that peace lay in our mutual desire for harmony within humanity and within creation. Today I want to add to that idea that if we want to know the goodness of God then we must first be willing to seek the goodness in each other even someone we consider an enemy. In the study group one of the members said there is nobody who is so good that there isn’t some evil in them and nobody so evil that there is no good in them. The value of that statement is perhaps to help us stop the cycle of violence. I was speaking with a good friend about this and she reminded me of the non-violent practice of self- awareness. When we are angry at someone the seemly natural response is to act that anger out on the source of our anger. But Non-violent communication says that the source of our anger is in here, in our hearts, not out there in the hearts of others. It arises from feelings within us of care and helplessness. So before we act out of violence we ought to know why we are angry and if there is any other way to deal with our sense of helplessness. Violence is only one option and not a very good one.
Here is where I think Christianity stands as the most radical response to evil. And I know it wasn’t in the scripture reading for today but Paul in his letter to the Roman church, who was experiencing evil from within and from outside advises them:
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[a] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will set his mind afire with guilt.”[b]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Did you hear that, overcome evil with good. God isn’t good because God gives us good things but rather because God sets an example of what is true goodness. Hiram King Tyre who isn’t Jewish nor of the Israelite people but he doesn’t begrudge Solomon cedars to build the temple. Rather Hiram celebrates that Israel is at peace. A peace that allows them to focus on placing God at the center of their culture and life. But when Israel or you or me move away from having that God, that good center and instead place me at the center than we begin to slide into old unhelpful cycles of greed, fear, and angry reprisal. Cedar were valued for their strength and resistance against the ravages or age or attack of devouring insects. God wants us to be as cedars who respond with the strength of conviction that evil can not devour the goodness of God within and within others. This is a hard journey but as the anthems proclaims Blessed be the name on the road marked with suffering thought there’s pain in the offering blessed be your name. Blessed, Blessed, Blessed be the Goodness of God.
Amen
