Above: The Temple of Solomon
Image Scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Christ, the Temple of Yahweh
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The Collect:
Merciful Lord God, we do not presume to come before you
trusting in our own righteousness,
but in your great and abundant mercies.
Revive our faith, we pray; heal our bodies, and mend our communities,
that we may evermore dwell in your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 38
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 6:23-38 (Thursday)
1 Kings 8:14-21 (Friday)
1 Kings 8:31-40 (Saturday)
Psalm 96:1-9 (All Days)
2 Corinthians 5:11-17 (Thursday)
2 Corinthians 11:1-6 (Friday)
Luke 4:31-37 (Saturday)
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Great is Yahweh, worthy of all praise,
more awesome than any of the gods.
All the gods of the nations are idols.
–Psalm 96:4-5a, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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King Solomon presided over the construction of the first Temple at Yahweh. That process entailed forced labor, unfortunately. That structure functioned both religiously, housing the Ark of the Covenant, and politically, boosting the monarchy. The crown controlled the place where God dwelt, according to the orthodoxy of the day. How convenient was that?
Jesus engaged in conflicts with people attached to the successor of Solomon’s Temple. The Second Temple, expanded by the order of King Herod the Great as a political and self-serving policy, was the seat of collaboration with the occupying Roman forces. Yes, much of the Jewish populace of Palestine had great respect for the Temple, but the fact of the exploitative system rooted in that place remained. That Jesus competed with the Temple and the priesthood, healing people and offering reconciliation with God, contributed to animosity between him and people invested in the Temple system financially.
Christ became the new Temple, the figure via whom people can become new creations. He was the figure whom St. Paul the Apostle proclaimed jealously, defending his version of the Christian gospel. Christ became the timeless Temple free of corruption, the Temple no power can control or destroy.
May all nations worship God at that Temple.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 28, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF THOMAS BINNEY, ENGLISH CONFORMIST MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND “ARCHBISHOP OF NONCONFORMITY”
THE FEAST OF ANDREW REED, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, HUMANITARIAN, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER AND ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, AFRICAN-AMERICAN EDUCATORS
THE FEAST OF ELIZABETH C. CLEPHANE, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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