Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Advent

Mass in the Morning Lectionary: 200

'It was I who took you from the pasture

and from the care of the flock

to be commander of my people Israel.

I have been with you wherever you went,

and I have destroyed all your enemies before you....

In today's first reading, the Prophet Nathan conveys God's word to David. The Lord reminds the shepherd king of his past deeds, "It was I who took you from the flock!" Just in case, you may have forgotten that you are not a self-made man. You were, in fact, nobody; the last and least of your brothers. With that reminder I will tell you where we go from here, "And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth...."

Having attained a minor greatness, the king of a small kingdom when the nearest great nations -- Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia -- were suffering internal political chaos -- David wondered how he might perpetuate himself. What better way than to build a massive stone temple? It would be known as "David's Temple." It made eminent sense because David was already enjoying palatial splendor while the Ark of the Covenant rested in a goatskin tent. How fair is that?

Through Nathan the Prophet, the Lord scotched the idea. "Have I ever complained about my tent?" and, "I will build a house for you to last forever!"

So the King amassed building materials for a temple and his son erected the building that would be known as "Solomon's Temple." David was content with the promise.

Christians recognize the fulfillment of that promise in the Birth of Jesus. He assumed the title "Son of David" in accordance with the Angel's word to Mary:

the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,

and of his Kingdom there will be no end."

David was content to govern his kingdom and write poetry, including Psalm 127, "Unless the Lord build the house, the labor in vain who build it."

Salvation History teaches us that our own ambitious projects must fail unless they are inspired by God from the start. Nothing we build can last forever. But the Word of the Lord lasts forever and, as we share the Word with our children, neighbors, friends, and strangers our own names are invested in the story of Salvation. The Lord will remember our names as he remembered Lazarus, and he will call us to life in his time, on That Day. He will neither remember nor resurrect the houses we built or the companies we created. 

In the meanwhile, we pray that we might know what to do to build his kingdom. And we pray that we'll know that voice when he calls us. Having heard the familiar sound of his voice in our daily worship, we'll come leaping out of graves and urns to greet the Lord.