…that night the LORD
spoke to Nathan and said: “Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Should you build me a house to dwell in?”
Our first reading today, from the Second Book of Samuel,
tells how the Lord God blessed King David by the promise of an eternal rule. His
descendants would always reign in Jerusalem. David might have supposed God was
rewarding his fidelity but, in fact, God had plans far beyond David’s feeble
imagination.
Christmas is almost upon us now and you can be sure millions
of people are still frantically preparing for it. They have a thousand details
to take care of, from shopping for that perfect Christmas gift to basting the Christmas
turkey. The Lord might say to them, “Should you prepare a house for me to dwell
in?”
The
LORD… reveals to you
that he will establish a house for you.
that he will establish a house for you.
If David was as wise as he is reputed, he wanted most of all
that God’s will be done. He had thought his capital city should have a world
famous temple to honor the Lord of Heaven and Earth. It should be the envy of all
nations, like the Tower of Babel. Everyone would want to see it, and those
seeing it would want to worship its God. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do; bring everyone in and make them worship our God? That’s good, isn’t it?
We are often so caught up in what we think is good we fail
to notice God’s plans. When the Lord’s word finally breaks into our
consciousness, sometimes with a mighty shout, we realize how absurdly small our
great dreams were. We might as well light a candle to emulate the sun. Not even
a hydrogen bomb can outshine the sun.
“Should you build me a house to dwell in?” On Christmas Eve
we realize it is time to stop, wait, listen and watch for what the Lord will
do. We can extinguish our candles now, the sun is rising.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.