Readings:
Psalm 19
John 2:13-25
I found this great book entitled “How to know when you need to clean house”
• It is time to clean house when your feet stick to the floor when you walk through the kitchen.
• It is time to clean house when your mother can't find you when she comes into your room to wake you up in the morning.
• It is time to clean house when the kids in the neighborhood use their fingers to write "wash me" in the dirt on your windows.
• It is time to clean house when there are more dishes in the kitchen sink than there are in the cabinets.
Lent is a great time for housekeeping.
So what do you make of Jesus fashioning a whip to drive out the people and animals from the temple? It wasn’t very big whip. Not long after this a nastier whip would be cracking down on Jesus’ own back, as he was to take upon himself our punishment for sin.
Of course only John talks about the whip, and he places this very energetic form of housekeeping at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in his gospel. Some say there were two cleansings of the temple. In the other gospels there is no mention of a whip – but clearly he drives the people out! And the animals!
I heard an excellent sermon yesterday by a student at Scots college – on righteous anger. Great when it comes from a 15 year old. He spoke on this very account using Mark’s Gospel.
So what does spiritual housekeeping look like?
And why bother? Simply because it is Lent?
I should think that the church should do some spiritual house keeping or spring cleaning (even in autumn) SOLEY BECAUSE Jesus seldom gets angry – but this really made him mad!
It’s Zeal – you see in action here. John points out reflectively that his disciples remembered that it was written - "Zeal for your house will consume me." (Psalm 69)
Presbyterians are not generally known for their zeal!
We used to be zealous about the Sabbath – “back in the day”. Remember the Olympic games of 1924? Not? Never mind, neither do I! But in the film CHARIOTS OF FIRE you would have seen some of the issues of the day – the famous Scot Eric Liddell – the flying Scotsman – wouldn’t run his best race on the Sabbath – the 100 metres! It was he who is portrayed in the movie (1981) saying: "I believe that God made me for a purpose... (the mission in China), but He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure."
We were always zealous about the Word of God – now we carry it in and out of church, but don’t necessarily carry out what it says! There was a time when Presbyterians were much more into the Bible – reading it much much more at home! And of course you wouldn’t miss Sunday worship!
Zeal for the house of God. What does that mean today?
What would Jesus do today?
Is this about how we use the church today? Or is it about the members of the Body of Christ??
John Wimber once told the story of an irate member of the congregation who phoned him with a complaint. A family in crisis had been trying to get help.
“They phoned the church office again and again, and couldn’t get through. “How’s the church supposed to help if no one answers the phone?” he complained. “It was so bad that I had to take them in!”
John Wimber replied – “well then the church did help, didn’t it!”
Zeal for the temple today might not mean the physical place!
It might mean a passion for the effective ministry of the members of the church! We are the body of Christ, after all, the real church.
Perhaps its our own personal temples that are at issue? After all, didn’t Paul say:
1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?
Of course, Paul was talking about sexual sin! Maybe that’s not serious – or maybe it is very serious! Maybe we need to look again at the biblical view of marriage?
Personal housekeeping.
There is a sense in which we need to clean up our own lives! The traditional 40 days of Lent in which Christians deprived themselves of things through fasting or abstinence was intended, I think, to focus the mind on spiritual disciplines.
The reading from Psalm 19 today is quite helpful in this regard.
Psa 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the LORD are sure, making wise the simple;
Psa 19:8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eyes;
Psa 19:9 the fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Psa 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
Psa 19:11 Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Psa 19:12 But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults.
The soul is revived, the simple are made wise, the heart rejoices, the eyes are enlightened, and God’s ordinances are to be desired because they are sweet and rich! Despite this, the Psalmist says that we are warned by these ordinances – and that we are in danger not detecting our errors – we need to be cleared or cleansed of our HIDDEN FAULTS.
Of course sin is a very insidious thing. There are some laws, from the Old Testament point of view, and for that matter the New Testament law of Christ, that are not complicated and we know full well when we have messed up.
But its ever so subtle at times, isn’t it.
Like the little boy who prayed:
Dear God, please forgive me for all my sins, the sins I thought, the sins I did, and the sins I didn’t get around to going!
The Psalm ends with:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
What is acceptable to God today? What would Jesus drive out of our lives?
The subtle things, the insidious sins, are the very reason for the need for spiritual housekeeping at Lent!
Of course the 40 days don’t end in gloom! When Good Friday comes, we should have our three hour services. We’re not expected to be on the cross suffering – only praying and reflecting, worshipping and remembering. We’re like people in an airport on a journey – we watch the final of the world rugby cup after the fact – we already have the results because the broadcast has been delayed!
We celebrate the cross knowing about the resurrection already!
Why all the fuss then?
Simply because we are grateful – or should be!
We undeservedly receive grace – God riches at Christ’s expense – forgiveness, new life, a relationship with God in which we are called his children AND his friends, the promise of eternal life, joy in our hearts, the beautiful fellowship of the church, support of great friends, and deep real healing even when life has dealt us the heaviest of blows!
All the more reason to please God - to live right and well – simply out of gratitude!
Corporate sins are harder to deal with!
Lent is easy for individuals. If we are honest to God and before God, we can confess – and make right. (There is no point in saying sorry to God unless we say sorry to others and change our ways!)
It’s the corporate sins that people are unsure about!
What if the way we do church IS sinful and displeasing to God? We worry about OUR buildings and OUR traditions – OUR way of worship and OUR MUSIC. Or OUR pews…
They are all wonderful and interesting things. But are they the most important?
But what about our lack of generosity to the needy, our indifference to the poor. Our tolerance of indifference, our subtle issues of race and resentment.
I watched the movie (the Boy in the striped Pajamas) in a preview some weeks back. I’d never read the book, so the ending was unexpected. And I felt very exposed – the indignation that the little naïve German boy should suffer the same fate as the little Jewish Kid. How callous we are. A bomb in Baghdad seems less shocking than a bomb in Auckland would be to us.
There are these corporate, community and global sins – of greed, indifference, or the more understated assumptions – that the kiwi way is superior, that South Africans are probably racists, and various other people are lazy in general, or stupid because English is not their first language.
Our spiritual housekeeping should lead to weeping – not because we don’t have time to clean away the dust, but because of our assumption that all is well, when it isn’t.
Let Jesus come with his whip and chase out of our lives “all that is not holy and is not true.” These words come from the 19th century hymn by Caroline Noel:
At the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow,
Every tongue confess Him King of glory now;
’Tis the Father’s pleasure we should call Him Lord,
Who from the beginning was the mighty Word.
In your hearts enthrone Him; there let Him subdue
All that is not holy, all that is not true;
Crown Him as your Captain in temptation’s hour;
Let His will enfold you in its light and power.
May it be so for us today.
Cleanse our temples, Lord, we pray.
Amen.
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