Sunday 19 June

1 Kings 6:1-7:22

It’s a cutting word “however”.  A bit like the word “considering” when it is put at the end of the sentence “you did pretty well... considering...”.  So what should have proclaimed to every generation the incredible devotedness of Solomon in fact showed him to be into the Lord just that little bit less than he he was into his own sweet self.  He may well have built a beautifully temple for the Lord but he went even further in indulging his own fancy in the construction of his palace.  The last bloke who worshipped in a similarly lackadaisical manner was Cain, and the Lord didn’t look to kindly on him.  And, while we are at it, it is interesting that Solomon didn’t ask the the Lord for dimensions or specifications for the temple.  I’m sure we all remember the eye-watering tedium that was the Lord’s direction to Noah for the ark or to Moses for the other Ark.  When the Lord wanted something built he usually had something to say about how he wanted it done.  But Solomon doesn’t seem to bother with such ‘details’ - he seems to prefer the Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen approach of wafting and sploshing his lavish taste onto someone else’s property and then watching with child-like relish as all is revealed to the unsuspecting victim.  In all this then, Solomon seems just a tad presumptuous.  So it is an incredible display of the generosity of God’s spirit and the humility of his character that he is willing to inhabit the second-best crib in the neighbourhood.  And to do so in a place that was designed to someone else’s taste.  Our God truly is unbelievably accommodating to us a human beings.  As we see the role of the temple unfold over the next 2 days we would do well to cling tight to the spirit of grace that underlies its very foundations.

Acts 13:13-41

In one way I wonder whether the apostles were as radically different to us as we sometimes think.  I think it does us all a dis-service when the apostles are suggested to have prowled street corners hailing entirely unreligious passers by, astounding them with wonders and then calling them into the life of the kingdom.  In fact Paul, Barnabas et al seemed to calmly attend places where people were already seeking God, listen politely to the proceedings and only pipe up when invited to do so.  Their bread and butter didn’t seem to be lambasting sinners in the streets as encouraging the seekers in the synagogue.  You know what, I think I could do that!  I think all of us could do that!  If we can find places where people are willing to drop their guard and declare an interest in God (or even god, or even some kind of meaning in life) then I think the vast majority of us would be entirely happy to chip in with some encouraging words about Jesus.  True, the level of confidence with which Paul spoke was probably higher than ours is likely to be but the sentiment could be the same - to advocate that Jesus brings something that you just can’t get elsewhere.  To declare our conviction that Jesus stands up to historical scrutiny.  To say that, in spite of much faithlessness, faith in this particular man can really put some jam in your doughnut.  When Paul spoke like this, people were encouraged.  When Paul spoke like this, God used him to bring hope. When we speak like this today, we will see the Lord using us, just as he did Paul, to bring encouragement and hope to the people we love.

Psalm 75:1-10

I wonder whether one of Asaph’s mates dared him to try to use the word horn as often and as ludicrously as he could within one single worship song...