These church buildings

 

2 Kings 22:1-10

I was driving one day and a church's marquee caught my attention. It wasn't a pithy quote or bad pun that interested me. It was an invitation to attend "Our last worship service." The congregation was of a mainline denomination, but not a church I had any connections to. Still, I attended their final service. After several decades in the community, the church had decided it was best to close its doors. The grief of closing a church was real. But the decision allowed the remaining members to celebrate the ministry God gave them before they found a new local church to join. There were several former pastors of the church in attendance. As it turned out, I knew a couple of them. So, after the service, I asked what had led the congregation to their decision to close. There were several reasons, but the one that got repeated was "the facilities." The cost of upkeeping the buildings overwhelmed their finances. That's all their money went to. They couldn't focus on ministry because they were, necessarily, too focused on keeping the building from collapsing. Every sanctuary made by human hands needs repair. Unfortunately, there's only so much money our human hands can provide for that work. I'm a mixed bag when it comes to church buildings. I'll leave it up to you to make a devotional point of this topic today. On one hand, I want us to keep our set-apart facilities in top-notch shape. Pick up trash on your way to worship, if it's needed. Clean up after your ministry event. And take your used tissues with you after worship! Take great care, the best care, of what you call the house of God. The condition you leave it in might send a message about the place's importance. Part of King Josiah's reforms was to repair the temple. That sent a clear message about the king's desire to return to God. On the other hand, if I were starting a new congregation, I'd stay away from having to build new facilities. My understanding of ministry actually takes us away from church facilities. Yes, having a place to gather is important. Having sacred space means something. But so much of our ministry can and should happen outside any of our constructed walls. And I hate when that can't happen because we're too focused on maintaining a building--especially a building we only use once a week. Shaphan the secretary found "the book of the law" buried under the neglect and divorce of faith the temple endured. That'll preach, I hope. Stay blessed...john