"Does It Matter - Part 1" Exodus 25: 1-8; Luke 6: 46-4

This sermon continues reflecting on our "Shining Our Light" capital campaign.  It picks up the Exodus story that reveals God's desire for the Israelites to build a sanctuary so God can be among them.  It also builds (pun intended!) on Jesus' story about building on a strong foundation.

I've been thinking about the role buildings play in our lives, and have had the following thoughts:

1. I spoke with a Ukrainian Catholic recently who described the power of chapels in her homeland.  She is now orchestrating the building of chapels on her farm and for others.  I hope to talk with her today to hear more about these little chapels.

2.  I recently read an article about the government of the Czech Republic deciding to give back the churches and property taken from the churches (or to give monetary compensation if the building had been destroyed) when the the communist government took over in the 1950s.  In return, the churches will now start paying their own ministers, instead of the state paying the ministers.

3. My grandmother had her home in Falls Church, VA added to the National Registry of Historic Buildings before selling it so that it would be there in  perpetuity.  I just saw it this summer and took a photo of my family on the front steps.  It brings back lots of memories. I wonder if I drove by and there was no building there how that would impact my memory?  As a funny aside, after her death (which was probably 10 or more years after she had sold the building), Leslie (wife now; fiancee then) and I stopped by the old house and went in and asked to look around the house.  It was owned by some company that had staff there, and they allowed us to wander through the building.  In their main office, which happened to be my grandmother's former bedroom, they had one of those boards that tracked  who was in and who was out by moving the marker next to the employee's name to the 'In" column or the "out" column.  I was surprised to look up and see that Mrs. O'Bannon, my grandmother, had her name listed there and a marker noting that she was "In."  The person showing us around saw me notice that and became a little embarrassed as she explained, "we hear strange noises sometimes, and when we do we mark your grandmother as being "IN," and when we don't hear the noises, we mark her as being "out!"

4.  Consider how the Twin Towers have become so symbolic in our story as a nation.

5.  But, of course, our sanctuary does not matter if the foundation created by our worship there is not Jesus Christ.

Peace,

Richard