The Transition of the Temple by Pastor Welty
Garrett Walkup
Transitions are a normal part of life. Some are subtle and others are more pronounced and obvious - perhaps even startling. An example of this is that we who are parents probably can remember bringing our proverbial "bundles of joy" home from the hospital. We fed them, changed their diapers, bathed them and cared for their every need. Then one day they were getting on a school bus and headed off to kindergarten. A couple weeks later, so it seemed, we loaded all their gear into the car and took them off to college. Now that's a transition.
Our church will be transitioning hopefully in the next few years to a home of our own. My hope is that we can move into our church building before 2027 because that would be 40 years since our church started, and I'm not inclined to try to match Moses' record for longevity in a temporary facility. Don't worry, we will likely have moved into the building long before that, so Moses' record will stay intact.
I have pondered what it will be like for our congregation to transition from a utilitarian cafeteria to an actual sanctuary. There will be adjustments about how we view the space; how we use the space, and how we care for the space. There will be adjustments, but they will be good adjustments. It will be important for us to always keep in mind that the building will be God's and not ours, and that the goal and purpose of the building will be to provide space where people can have an encounter with God.
In God's word we read of a transition in how God's people experience God's presence. It starts in the Garden of Eden and then moves to the Tabernacle and then the Temple. In the New Testament God's people experience His presence through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. There is a transition throughout scripture that is interesting to consider.
Starting on September 18 we'll be looking at that transition in how we relate to God with a series of messages entitled "The Transition in the Temple." Here is a little reveal in the form of a quote from an author named Lehman Strauss: The most sacred spot is no towering cathedral with stained glass windows, but the believer’s heart where God has come to dwell.