The Church of St. Paul and Incarnation, Jersey City NJ
December 20, 2020
Year B: The Fourth Sunday of Advent
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
Canticle 15
Romans 16:25-27
Luke 1:26-38
No Place More Holy
This morning we began with one of my favorite Scripture passages.
In today’s reading from Second Samuel, King David is sitting in his comfortable palace when he has an epiphany:
Shouldn’t God have a house at least as grand as the king’s?
If you remember David, you know that Israel’s greatest king was not always a faithful, admirable figure, but we have to give him credit for this moment of self-awareness, this commitment to build something beautiful – a house made of precious cedar – for God.
The Prophet Nathan thinks it’s a great idea, too.
I mean, who could be opposed to building a house for God? Who wouldn’t want God to have a temple that reflected and honored God’s glory?
But, then, in God’s usual way of surprise, God flat out rejects the idea – you are going to build me a house?!?
And, let’s face it, when God puts it that way, it does sound a little presumptuous, doesn’t it?
God reminds Nathan and David and all of us that God has been on the move from the beginning – a traveling tent has been sufficient – God doesn’t need to be, doesn’t want to be, can’t be, contained by a temple, no matter how magnificent it may be.
Furthermore, also in God’s usual way of surprise, God turns the tables on David. God says that God will make a house for David – not a house made of wood or stone, but a dynasty, a legacy that will live on forever.
So, the temple building project was shelved, but only temporarily. As you probably know, David’s son and heir King Solomon will in fact build a house for God, constructing the great Temple in Jerusalem.
And later, after Solomon’s Temple was destroyed, the people of Israel built a second Temple, the one that was still standing during Jesus’ earthly lifetime.
The Second Temple was a vast complex of buildings and courtyards, recognized as one of the wonders of the ancient world.
It was the center of Jewish life and worship.
It was the place where God was believed to dwell.
There was no place more holy.
Today is the fourth and final Sunday of Advent, and just in time we turn our attention to the woman at the heart of this holy season: Mary.
As we heard in today’s familiar but always beautiful lesson from the Gospel of Luke, the angel appears to Mary and announces some stunning, hard to believe news.
In God’s usual way of surprise, out of all the people in the world, God has chosen this young peasant woman living not in Jerusalem but in a small town out in the country – out of all the people in the world God has favored this woman to carry the Son of God into the world.
In God’s usual way of surprise, this child, born in the unlikeliest circumstances, will be David’s legacy. He will continue David’s dynasty not by living in a grand palace or wearing a crown of gold, but by being a very different kind of king – a king who had no home - a king who wore a crown of thorns – a king who calls us to love one another – a king who washes feet – a king who gives away his life for us.
In God’s usual way of surprise, at that moment when Mary says yes to the angel, yes to God, there was no place more holy than that small room in Nazareth.
At that moment, and in the nine months to follow, there was no place more holy than wherever Mary was – Mary who, without fully knowing what she was in for – said yes to our God of surprises – said yes to carrying God into the world in a new and unique way – said yes to beginning a spiritual revolution that will turn the world downside-up, the mighty cast down from their thrones and the lowly uplifted, the hungry fed, the rich turned away.
And when the nine months were completed, Mary gave birth far from home, deprived of the comfort of family and familiar surroundings. She and Joseph placed the child in the manger – and there was no place more holy than that crude and simple feeding trough meant for, and used by, animals.
When the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in the year 70, the Jewish people viewed it as an unspeakable catastrophe.
Of course.
What could it mean that the place where God had dwelled was a pile of rubble?
The Jewish people wondered if they could survive as a people without the Temple, could they stay in right relationship with God without the sacrifices that happened there?
Well, we know the answer.
The Temple’s destruction did put the priests permanently out of work, but, as God had told David and Nathan long before, God never really needed a house, could never and would never be contained by a temple.
And, sure enough, for our Jewish brothers and sisters, our elder siblings in faith, holiness continues to be found in their eternal covenant with God.
And, especially after the destruction of the Temple, our Christian ancestors came to understand that for us, Christ is the temple – there is no place more holy than wherever Christ is.
Christ can be found in this temple, of course, but, fortunately, since you can’t come here right now, Christ is also found out there in the world. Christ can be found in and among all of us, most especially in the people who reach out to us for help.
And, giving shelter or food or comfort to anyone who asks for it - or doesn’t ask for it but needs it - is in fact giving to Christ.
There is no place more holy.
I’ve mentioned to you before that we weren’t sure if we should still do our Christmas giving tree at a time when so many of you, so many of our own families, are under extraordinary financial pressure, scrambling to create a joyful Christmas when money is tight and the future is uncertain.
But, as you know, we decided to try because the need is so great and our friends at Garden State CDC were counting on us.
Providing Christmas gifts for forty children seemed like a tall order but we – you – managed to do it and, not only that, but we have received extra gifts and a bunch of you have given money which we will send over to Garden State so they can care for even more families.
Susan Den Herder managed the logistical challenge of making sure all the gifts have been received and Vanessa Foster has organized all the gifts next door in Carr Hall.
And so right now, Carr Hall is as holy as any temple. It’s a place of love and generosity – Christ is surely there – there is no place more holy.
And in a few days, when those children unwrap gifts and open cards, those modest homes will be as holy as Mary’s simple place back in Nazareth – Christ will surely be there, too – there will be no place more holy.
And tomorrow evening, down at Triangle Park, we will share Christmas gifts with the young men who hang out in and around the park – guys who are usually and, yes, understandably, looked at with suspicion and fear – guys who have grown up with limited opportunities and, like most of us, have probably made a few bad choices along the way.
But, we’re going to give them care packages with warm hats and socks and, maybe best of all, homemade Christmas cookies baked by some of you and our friends down at Grace Church.
I fully expect that the guys will immediately unwrap the cookies and polish them off right then and there.
It will be an early Christmas for them and a kind of holy communion between them and us – Christ will surely be present in our little storefront, on those sometimes dangerous streets – and in that moment there will be no place more holy than Triangle Park.
In God’s usual way of surprise, out of all the people in the world, God chose a young peasant woman from a small town to carry the Son of God into the world.
Two thousand years ago, there was no place more holy than wherever Christ was.
And that’s just as true today.
Amen.
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