A Journey Through Advent: Day 16
Day 16
December 14, 2020
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The House of the Lord
Psalm 27:4-6
Rev. Dr. Paul Wallace
One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
– Psalm 27:4-6, NRSV
One night when I was about 10, I was running around the church with my friends like I always did, playing some game or another. Maybe it was a Sunday evening, maybe it was a Wednesday evening, I don’t know. But at one point in our game I had to get through the sanctuary, which was cavernous, larger even than ours at FBCD.
I ran into the place but was stopped in my tracks by the darkness and emptiness and silence. This was on Peachtree Road in Buckhead and there was always traffic and noise but the sanctuary was so spacious and so dark and so weirdly quiet, I remember thinking that maybe God really did live in there.
This thought filled me with awe and made me happy too. I sat for a few minutes, not wanting to leave. This joyful sense of being with God in God’s house stayed with me for a very long time.
The psalmist doesn't want to leave the house of the Lord either. He wants to remain his whole life long, singing and shouting with joy. He wants to stay, among other reasons, because he is assailed by his enemies and in that place he is safe, protected, hidden.
If I were being assailed by enemies I would want the same thing, but who are my enemies? There are certainly people in this world with whom I have had disagreements, with whom I have struggled, who may not like me very much. But enemies? To be honest I can’t think of anyone I would call an enemy.
But enemies do live inside me. They have names like fear and anxiety and anger and cynicism. They never sleep and they trouble me constantly and so I return, time and time again, to the house of the Lord, where joy awaits.
But how do I do this in the age of COVID?
Well, it turns out that the House of the Lord has expanded a little since I was 10. It was big then but it’s bigger now, so big that I actually can, as the psalmist puts it, remain there my whole life. Every time I walk through a field, visit the creek, go birding, or look up at the night sky I am in the Lord’s house, and joy is found there every single time.
Where is your house of the Lord? Is it a room, a chair, a trail? Where do you go, in these days of not coming to church, to scatter your enemies and find joy? Think about this and make a point of returning there daily during Advent as you anticipate the arrival of our Lord.
About a Journey Through Advent
This year is unprecedented in its challenges to our global, national, and local communities, let alone the challenges to our own church community and personal spiritual growth. And yet, the rhythm of the church calendar continues to hold us in a life-giving refrain: hope is alive!
This series of devotional readings, scripture readings, and prayers is designed to give you an opportunity to pause and reflect on the hope, peace, joy, and love that the Advent season brings.
We challenge you to set aside time each day to read, reflect, and pray through these offerings presented by our pastoral staff.
May you find encouragement in the remarkable hope this season provides us!