Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Move on out

The king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him went all the people of Judah, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. The king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, keeping his commandments, his decrees, his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. All the people joined in the covenant.

The king commanded the high priest Hilkiah, the priests of the second order, and the guardians of the threshold, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, adn for all the host of heaven; he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, adn carried their ashes to Bethel. He deposed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who made offerings to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the constellations, and all the host of the heavens.

2 Kings 23: 2-5

Doesn't every church have their idols? The things the church needs to toss from its holy places. I feel like King Josiah upon coming to this church. Priests (leaders) have been appointed here that have done damage theologically. There are many divisions and divisive groups that have had control of this church and its time to claim this house as a house of worship once again. Can I be brave like Josiah and take the heave ho to all the things unsacred in this church?

God who rebirths
Help me to make your house a home
a home and refuge for all who are hurting
all who are oppressed
all who are misunderstood.
Give me the strength to throw out the
revered idols of the past and
bring fresh Spirit into your temple.
Amen