1-29-2006

Celebrating the freeing, supportive presence of God. So your experience of God may become your experience of life. It is wonderful what God can do!

"What’s In a Building?"

January 29, 2006

   What’s In a Building? I raise this question much like one would ask, “What’s In a Name?” Although I am a great fan of natural wood and historical designs, in these moments I am not as much addressing the qualities of our physical building as I am the qualities of life within it!

Most people find it quite difficult to divide up the memories of special events between the people present and the building itself. We should occasionally think about this in order to be sure that the depth of our faith is in the invisible yet powerful presence of God in our midst as opposed to any building taking on more importance than it should in our journey of faith.

       The earliest of this congregation's church fathers had less trouble with this concept than we because they experienced a variety of buildings during their faith journey. For the first three years of gathering together as a faith group, they met in each other’s homes. Then they built a “meeting house” [1819] which for five years doubled as both a school and as a place of worship.

The first actual church building [1824] was only used for eight years until it was outgrown. The next church building [1832] was only used for six years before it, too, was outgrown. The third church building was completely destroyed by fire [1838] so I guess it was back to the old school and meeting house for the following two years.

   The fourth church building [1840] served the longest to that date — 43 years — until the need for expansion brought a major remodeling and enlarging project. The remodeled and enlarged church building [1883] served for only 24 years until it, too, was outgrown, and the present building that we enjoy today, came to be.

None of us alive today remember a time when this building did not exist. This starkly contrasts with our prior history. The cover on our bulletin this morning reminds us of the era in which our present building was constructed; the era in which Teddy Roosevelt was President of the United States.

Is it any wonder that we have a much more difficult time separating our congregational experiences from our church building experiences? This is reinforced by the fact that we use the word “church” as a noun and rarely use it as the verb it was intended to be.

   When Jesus first used the word “ecclesia,” which is Greek for “church,” its only definition was “a gathering of people.” Our human nature, however, will always cause us to associate people and events with buildings and places.

   “What’s In a Building?” It is appropriate that we should raise this question in this, our current church building’s 100^th year. It is appropriate that we reflect on the meaning and importance that this congregation and its buildings hold for you and for others.

   A church or a congregation, with or without its building, is truly a unique place. The church building, if built and maintained well, should serve to enhance the experience of faith and worship.

    First of all, the church has more permanence in our lives than even the homes of our birth. The homes of our upbringing are quite often left after 18 or so years in order to begin our own lives and families.

   The church has more permanence than the schools or stores in which we spend significant time. The permanence of the church and, in our case, its current building, often outlives the life of a significant number of marriages, friendships, and institutions.

   Our Scripture this morning from 1 Chronicles is one of many that speak favorably about people building places of worship dedicated to God and faithfully used as God’s house. This, however, needs to be held in balance with the Scriptures that warn us about placing more importance on God’s house, and other worldly possessions, than on God himself. It is easy to get caught up in the things that we can see as opposed to the things we can not.

   The church is unique in the way that it nurtures us from cradle to grave. From the new born at Baptism, through the early years in Church School and through our Confirmation, we are nurtured as children of God. From our first day at public school, until our last at graduation and Baccalaureate we continually pray for God’s blessing and protection to rest with our children and parents.

   From the beginning of marriage and a new family, until the time that [that] very same family is separated by death, the church stands to promote our understanding of eternity and assist in the healing and grieving process. The church exists to provide the message of God’s love and salvation through Jesus Christ. The church is by our side, and in our receiving of strength, wisdom, and spiritual life, through the power and reality of God’s Holy Spirit.

   For us, we come to a building made by faithful hearts and hands, but one that is consecrated and dedicated to God’s purposes in the world and in our community.

   Within our Sanctuary our eyes are drawn to the angel hovering over the shepherds and proclaiming, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” [ASV]

   This angel assures us of God in our midst, as does the wooden cross on the wall and the gold cross on the Communion Table, each symbolic of Christ’s sacrificial love for you and me, and all the world. The warm light of the altar candles warms our hearts in remembrance of the presence of God in the form of flames at the great day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

   A church-type building without people is not a church at all, but just a building. Many church buildings have been converted into play houses, concert halls, and museums. They may look like a church, but they are not.

   A true church is a gathering of people, and a place where people who seek, more often than not, will find. It is a place where the symbols of God’s presence and power serve to nurture all present. It is a place where the lost can be found, and the spiritually drowning can be saved. A true church is a place where hearts and souls are committed to the plight of the hungry, the needy, the ill, and imprisoned, because they have been converted to such, by the teachings of Jesus. A true church is a place where the spoken word of God infuses God’s people with new life, new hope, and an excitement about the future, both now and for all eternity. Amen.