1. Dedication of Solomon’s Temple

Today, after the worship service, we will hold a meeting to discuss the proposed construction of our church, by taking advice and recommendations from Mr. Shiraishi, the planner of Tamagawa church. This church building was constructed 35 ago and we need to fortify it for seismic protection in compliance with current land legislation. But, before we take a step toward the reality of commencing the work, I think we must reflect upon the importance of the church building itself. So today we will seek some spiritual guidance by lecturing on a passage from the Bible, concerning the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem.*

This passage is very often read on the occasion of church building programs in Japan. The verses of our text represent King Solomon’s prayers for the future vision of the Temple. Although, the Temple is not exactly the same as the church, there are many similar factors which should give us some spiritual and thoughtful guidance.

The kingdom of Israel was established under David’s rule and he wanted to build the Temple to express gratefulness to God. However God had not yet accepted that offering. It was Solomon, the son and successor of David who was destined to achieve that privilege: “Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to have this in your heart. Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, who is your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name"¡Ê1 Kings 8:18-19).

The completion and dedication of the Temple fulfilled God’s promises to David. Because a persons name represents that person, God is present where that name is, thus God is in the Temple, listening to the prayers of the people King Solomon planned the construction in lieu of his father, and realized a tremendous outside structure by 950 B.C, after spending seven years on the work (1 Kings 6). The edifice was accomplished and the Ark was moved from the tent built by David to the new Temple (I Kings 8:1-6). “There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt"¡Ê1 Kings 8:8-9).

The presence of the stone tablets or the edifice of the Temple themselves did not hold any spiritual importance for the faith. Because God does not live in a building made by humans (2 Samuel 7 ). This observation teaches that the altar and ritual symbolic objects of precious materials do not have any fundamental spiritual value. Human prayers to God is what ultimately determines faith.

Solomon makes nine prayerful petitions (1 Kings 8:25-53), for God to continue faithfulness to the promises made to David by hearing the prayers made in the Temple, “the house of prayer” (vv. 25-29); (2) for God to judge disputes righteously by upholding the sanctity of the oath ( vv. 31-32 ); (3) for God to forgive the people when they confessed their sins after defeat in war (vv. 33-34); (4) for God to forgive the people when their sins brought calamities caused by drought (vv.35-36); (5) for forgiveness and divine assistance in times when the sins of the people led to natural disasters, understood as divine displeasure over the sins of the people (vv.37-40); (6) for God to grant requests of non-Israelites who went to pray in the Temple because God’s name was there (making the Temple a house of prayer for all peoples) vv.41-43); (7) for God to vindicate the cause of the people by granting them victory in war (vv. 44-45); (8) for restoration of the people when they called from exile in a foreign land (vv.46-51); (9) that God would again hear his prayer and the prayers of the people whenever they prayed (vv. 52-53).

Solomon concludes his prayerful petitions by thanking God for bringing peace to Israel and for being faithful for the promises made to the people ( 1 Kings 54-61). The presence of the Lord with Israel assured the relationship between God and the people. The Temple was indeed a house of prayer, just as our church is a house of prayer. God hears the prayers of the people in the church today, just as he listened to the prayers of the people in the Temple.

2. Jesus and the Temple

Solomon built up the Temple and humbled himself before God. However, during the later years of his reign, God warns Solomon: “But if you or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given” (1 Kings 9:6-7). The survival of Solomon’s dynasty and of the nation depends on such faithful observance.

As God suspected and even predicted, Solomon’s sincerity gave way to arrogance, and his descendants also ignored God’s word. God spoke through the prophets and warned against impending destruction if the people did not return to their faith. However, the Israelites attention still proudly focused only on the gorgeously embellished Temple. They thought as long as the Temple structure remained strong and intact, their life would be safely guaranteed. Observing such an attitude, God allowed Jerusalem, including the Temple to be demolished with the Babylonian invasion in 587 B.C. (2 Kings 24:13-17, Jeremiah 52).

The Temple of Jerusalem, once ruined by the Babylonian forces and reconstructed by the returning exiles was a rather modest building. Later it was restored and enlarged by Herod the Great, with extraordinary beauty.

Now let us move forward in time to where we find Jesus entering Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover. On that special occasion many merchants came to the Temple, where their trading voices and the loud cries of animals filled the Temple court. In facing such disorders within the site, Jesus became furious and drove out the traders and merchants: “So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!’” (John 2:15-16).

It was his faithful zeal and concern for the respect and dignity of the Temple which made him act in such an angry and extreme manner. Watching the scene, the crowd reacted with astonishment. To those people Jesus portrayed himself as decisive. Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” (John 2:18-20). This verse refers to Jesus’ own death and resurrection. The Jews interpreted Jesus’ words literally, but Jesus indicates that he meant them symbolically. Because he is the incarnate Word of God, His body is the Temple, the place where God can now be found on earth.

The Temple building is not a place for God to live. God will not live in any construction built by human beings. Nor is it the place to practice ritual sacrifices or to trade animals and merchandise. Though it is easy to decorate the Temple with donated money the reality is not to do so. It is a place of prayer and worship where we feel the presence of God. The real faithful attitude is to be humble before God, by showing spiritual and authentic obedience to Him. God’s real dwelling place is in each of you who accept Jesus as your saviour. Your way of living reflects the living God which entitles you to be called children of God.

3. New Church Building

The church is the place where God is revealed through the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is not God’s residence. Nor is it a place where humans get support or find solutions to their problems. Solomon’s Temple was originally conceived as a place where Israelites, people chosen by God, prayed and felt the presence of the living God. It was also a place for repentance. Sinners, who considered themselves through sheer arrogance to be the superpower, must come to pray for God’s forgiveness.

The very role of the Temple was to offer such a holy space to humans. But, as time past by, the genuine spirit was lost and people began to use the Temple for ritual sacrifices and empty protocols. And merchants took profit from the Temple by trading animals and disturbing people in prayer with their loud voices. They neglected the real significance of the Temple. Jesus severely criticised this attitude, “It is written,” he said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers” (Matthew 21:13).

That particular Temple was destroyed by Roman Armies in 70 C.E., and all that remains is the western wall. By looking back through the history of Jerusalem we recognise that the Temple should not be a mere symbolical building. And the church building is the same. They must be places where people can come to pray and worship God.

Some might say that we do not need a church building, believing we could still worship God and pray, for instance, in someone’s house or even a rented room. But, without a solid and tangible building site, the organization of believers becomes fragile. We learned that from our own experience of the Maihama preaching place. Recently we had to close Maihama which we struggled to support for the past 20 years.

One of the reasons for its closure is that we could no longer afford the financial cost of a permanent and independent site. The church building is a base for a lot of our preaching activities. Many people who visit for the first time are interested to see inside. We did some refurbishment two years ago, which changed the entrance door from wood into glass. Since then we have received more visitors than before.

The church building is more than a mere physical structure because it plays a role in the expression of our faith. So, to present our faith correctly to the outside world we need to find a building plan which is adequate for our beliefs. Just as Solomon’s prayer of dedication and Jesus’ words reveal, the church is a place of worship and prayer. So the building itself must contain some of those corresponding values. We need a place where we can listen to God’s words, and interact spiritually. A place where we can feel the presence of God, perform Baptisms’, and participate in the Lord’s communion.

For sure, the building needs protection against probable earthquakes and violent winds. But its architectural design should present a welcoming aspect to the outside world. We must take enough time to reflect upon the probable elements for this future project.

When I was first appointed here as a Pastor, seven years ago, I did not ever imagine I would undertake such a visionary project. Now, after giving thanks to God for the history of our church, we shall adjourn to discuss the possibilities of a newly designed place for worship and prayer. We pray God will bless our discussion about the proposed new building!
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* Solomon’s Temple - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem#Temple_periods
Jerusalem - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem