Belief and remembrance

April 15, 2019 | Alexandra Brownell

Editor's note

About the author: Alexandra Brownell, and her husband Andrew have been members of ZPC since January 2018. They moved to Indiana in June 2014 and have one son, Rhys, who is 3. They are active with their home group, Andy began to recently attend ZPC men’s activities and Alex serves in the 2/3s class once a month and runs for ZPCs Team World Vision.

About this post: This blog post is part of a series of daily devotionals for Holy Week. To sign up to receive text notification of these posts, text zpc devo to 39970. We welcome your comments and questions each day.

Today's scripture: John 2:13-22

Belief and remembrance: two words that come to mind while reading of Jesus cleansing the temple. A temple is supposed to be a meeting place of God’s people and the God of Israel, thus a holy place. Jesus understood holiness and was so angry that instead of a place where human life and godly blessing intertwined, it became a marketplace where animals and money changed hands. Jesus says in verse 19:

Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.

Why would Jesus talk about destroying the temple?

Jesus was not talking about the physical destruction of the temple, but of his body during his crucifixion. The raising of the temple, his body, would occur three days after his death and the disciples believed the scripture that was written and that he was the Son of God. They remembered what Jesus had done at the temple, a place where human life and divine blessing are laced together.  

Which then begs the question, “where does God meet you?” Is it church on Sunday morning when we sing of his praise, listen to his word, or partake in communion? Is it when you are outside playing with your kids and seeing the world through their eyes? Or is it in the silence when you finally have a chance to believe and remember? For me, it’s on my early morning run when the first rays of light come over the horizon, I know God is here, Jesus is alive, and the Holy Spirit endures forever!

Activity

Be reflective this upcoming week by asking yourself, “Where does God meet me?”  Write it down and celebrate God’s desire to be with us.

Prayer

Dear Lord,
Thank you for allowing your son, Jesus Christ, to be our physical temple, our connection to you. Help us continue to see through Jesus and the Holy Spirit your decision to walk amongst us, allowing you to be with us anytime, anywhere.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen

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