Is God In This Place? by Rev Steven R Mitchell, Mountain View United, Aurora, CO

 This morning’s scripture text comes as a remembrance of the dedication of the Temple, built by Solomon, while Israel was in Babylonian captivity.  The writer tells of a beautiful dedication, full of pomp and circumstance; of the temple that had been build to honor God.  There was the procession of the priests, of the Ark of the Covenant which had been moved around for decades awaiting a home in which to rest.
 The scripture indicates that even though the temple was built for God, there is recognition that even heaven could not contain God, much less a building which is built by humans.  So if Solomon recognized that God couldn’t possibly be contained in the four walls of the temple, why build it?  Not only was God too big for the temple, we are told that even foreigners would come and offer up prayers in this temple.  Again, why would a structure such as the temple prompt foreigners to come and offer up prayers? 
 This past Friday evening and Saturday a group of us from this congregation gathered at a retreat focusing on questions such as these.  As a way of jump starting our thinking process, we watched a part of the movie Sister Act; a story about a woman living in the secular world sought sanctuary in a convent.  The story discussed a variety of issues that centered on leadership, vision, outreach, growth (personal and physical), fear of the unknown to name just a few. 
 One of the noticeable things of this film was the church in which the major part of this story took place.  It is a rather large, cathedral looking type structure.  You could tell that in its younger days, it was a beautiful building in which to worship in.  However, the church had dwindled down to just a few worshippers, was in great disrepair.  The exterior was not only tired looking but it was separated from the neighborhood by a chain link fence.  After Sister Mary Clarence (the secular woman needing sanctuary) shows up and posing as a nun, you start to see a physical change of the church building.  The fence comes down, colorful murals are painted on the exterior walls, and the once empty sanctuary once again is filled with excitement and worshippers. 
 The story spoke to what happens when leadership and visioning come into play in the life of a church and how that affects the community.  At the retreat we discussed the importance of our congregation owning a vision for Mountain View.  We have a vision statement, but the question asked was, do we as a faith community actually own this vision?  You see, a vision is not just a statement, a plan, it is a feeling, an intuitive part of knowing where we want to go, or in the case of the church, knowing where God wishes us to head.  Moses gained his vision through the burning bush, a vision that compelled him to challenge the social structure of Egypt to lead the Hebrews out of slavery.  Nehemiah had a dream, where God gave him the courage to ask the Assyrian King to let him go back to the land of his fathers to rebuild Jerusalem.  Martin Luther King’s vision was spelled out in his “I have a dream” speak at the march on Washington.  A vision where one day, blacks and whites, rich and poor, stranger and friend would walk in harmony (paraphrased.)
 During times of relative calm, where life seems to be just floating smoothly along, the idea of having a place where one can go isn’t very high on the priority list.  In fact, much discussion often focuses around how much financial resources should be allocated to the upkeep and/or improvement of our four walled edifices.  “Wouldn’t we be better stewards of our resources by investing into social programs instead of replacing carpet or padding the pews so they are more comfortable to sit in?”  And these are truly important discussions, for are we called to be slaves to a building or to do ministry among Gods children?
 Yet, when we are faced with terrifying violence such as 9/11, or the mass shooting at the Aurora Century Cinema complex, or when nature flexes her power which brings massive destructions, or when we are having a personal crisis, we often come to a church where by just being in a sanctuary seems to give comfort.  Why is this the case?
 While serving in Rock Springs, I introduced a “Blessing of the Pets” worship.  This was a new concept for those folks and when they found out that we were going to do that service in the sanctuary, I received a lot of skeptical concerns, primarily indicating that the animals wouldn’t know how to act in the sanctuary, or around other animals, especially dogs being around cats.  I assured them that there would be very little problem, that once their pets were in the sanctuary they seemed to know they were on holy ground and would be very calm.  This has held true with every blessing ceremony that I have been a part of.  In fact one year, Paul brought the neighbors dog, Ogar to be blessed, and while at church Ogar fell in love with two of the female dogs there that day.
 Why are churches seen as places of sanctuary, where people can find safety?  When I was in my early twenties, living in Wichita, KS, as a lay person, I found myself at times during the week, that I would go to the church that I was a member and would go and sit in the sanctuary, praying for guidance.  Now we can pray anywhere and at anytime, but there were times when I needed to physically be in a sanctuary to do my praying.  For it was there at those times I seemed to feel that God was sitting next to me.
 What does the church building represent to you?  Have there been times in your life when being physically in a sanctuary was the only way to feel safety, comfort, and a closeness to God, which seemed to not be achievable elsewhere?  Could it be then that the God who larger than the universe, can actually fit inside these four walls?  We speak a lot about the merit of going outside these walls in order to do service, to do mission.  We speak a lot about the world being able to experience God’s love and compassion through our actions in God’s name.  Yet when we are feeling beat up, or feeling threatened by our environment, or overcome by deep loneliness, do we not find comfort and soles in the house of God!  It is in our faithful support of our church that makes it possible for this “holy place” to be possible, to be physically available, and to be a concrete reminder of God’s presence. 
 There is just something different about a sanctuary, that configuration of building materials, drawn together and raised up as a witness.  It is poignant, even heartbreaking, to watch churches being turned into condo developments and restaurants.  What feelings does that evoke in you?  What makes a space sacred to you?  Perhaps, when we sit in church, we are aware of those who came before us, whom we will never know, that great cloud of witnesses who’s generosity and faithfulness left us this great legacy.  Perhaps the beauty of this church and the memories they evoke, inspire us to greater generosity, not for ourselves as much as for those who come long after us, searching for a home, seeking refuge and solace, and seeking inspiration in order to return into the world with renewed strength and vision. Ucc Sermon Seeds, by Kate Huey 8/26/2012   God is greater than the heavens and yet God is in this place.  Amen