New Temples and Immeasurable Thankfulness
- joepenney1
- May 31
- 6 min read
Founded in 1878, Everton Football Club is one of the oldest football (soccer) clubs in the world that is still in existence. Matches have been played at their home stadium, Goodison Park, since 1892. However, this past season was their final season at Goodison. Starting in the fall, home games will be played in the brand new Everton Stadium, located at Bramley-Moore Dock.
While practice events and matches have been held at the new stadium, the official ribbon-cutting and celebration have yet to be seen. But based on Liverpool's undying passion and love for its football, there will undoubtedly be an epic party to open up the new grounds.
In 1 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 5-7, we hear about a different sort of grand opening. These chapters describe the completion of the temple, Solomon's dedication, and the Lord's presence filling it with power. After many years of hard labor and skilled work, along with enormous quantities of priceless materials, the temple would have been an incredible edifice to behold.
What's almost more impressive than the temple itself is the party that Solomon threw to dedicate it. He assembled the entire nation of Israel, which would have been millions of people, brought in the ark of the covenant with a grand procession, played music and sang songs, and sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they couldn't even be counted. After all of this and a prayer of dedication, Solomon threw a 7 day feast with all of the people who had gathered to celebrate.
It is amazing to read about how the people of Israel gave of their time, talents, and resources to honor the Lord, to build the temple, and finally came together to give thanks and worship with such abundance and exuberance.
In this season of preparation, we have been blown away by the generosity of God's people. Time and time again, folks have come alongside us in so many ways. People have committed to pray for us, to give to us financially, help us move out of our house and ready it for a renter, and even give us a place to stay before we move to Liverpool. They have given words of encouragement, cared for our kids, and supported us in countless ways.
As we draw closer to our fundraising goals, it may not be a new stadium or a glorious temple, but the Lord has done an amazing work in providing for our needs and building a team of people and churches to partner with us. It is worth taking a moment (or maybe a 7-day feast) to celebrate and give thanks!
While accepting all of the gifts, help, and support from others, I have found myself feeling like saying "thank you" simply isn't enough. At times, I wish that I could throw a party like Everton FC or like Solomon, with songs, food, and parades. My mind goes to the innumerable sacrifices that Solomon gave back to the Lord in thanks for his provision. I want a sufficient response that expresses our gratefulness to God and our supporters. I want my thankfulness to be similarly immeasurable.
But what can we give in return to those who give so sacrificially to our work in Liverpool? A thank you note? ...they're nearly in the mail. A fridge magnet? ...so they keep praying for us. An invitation to come visit? ...please do.
Let me just say, we are so overwhelmed by the generosity of God's people. We thank you for your partnership in spreading the gospel in Liverpool. The Lord has provided greatly through you, in his timing and in his way. All praise and thanks are ultimately his!
However, I must confess, this overwhelming thankfulness has easily filled my heart because there has been a tangible and felt need met, a dollar figure goal accomplished. These things are very easy for me to see and feel, and celebrate. What I've come to realize is that I'm often more impressed by God's provision of a few thousand dollars than I am by his grace towards me. At times, I'm more in awe of the generosity of people than I am of the work of Christ on the cross. I give thanks more readily for God getting me out of a bind than for him getting me free from eternal judgment and into his presence forever.
In my conviction of this, I desire to contemplate God's grace more deeply and personally. I want to consider Christ's work constantly and regularly arrive at a similarly overwhelming and immeasurable thankfulness.
God's love displayed through the person and work of Jesus is an immensely greater gift than anyone who gives to our ministry or lends a helping hand. There is a far surpassing reason for thankfulness to our Savior than to any person here on earth. But because of my anxieties and desire for comfort, I feel a more tangible and immediate relief and satisfaction when someone donates or signs up for our newsletter. When someone helps to chip away at our financial deficit, it's calculable. It's with greater difficulty that I feel the weight of my moral deficit before a holy God, and can comprehend the enormity of the debt that Christ has paid. Christ hasn't signed up to cover my sin at a certain percentage every month; he has wiped out my debt past, present, and future.
So, if I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for those who are now partnered with us in sending us to Liverpool, how am I supposed to respond to Jesus? How can I express my "immeasurable" thankfulness for his immeasurable gift of grace? I cannot simply sing loud enough on a Sunday morning. I could never tithe enough to repay. There's no number of Bible studies I would have to lead that would finally display the ultimate thankfulness to God. What God requires is death and servitude.
It's not as bad as it sounds! In fact, it's not bad at all. Turning to Christ, our old-self must die. Our sinful ways must stop. Of course, we don't offer sheep and oxen anymore either. Rather, our very lives are supposed to be the offering, a living sacrifice.
We're also called to a life of service to our savior. Christ commands those who have been called by his grace to love and obey him. We are to turn from our sinful tendencies and walk towards him, striving to become more like him. We are to tell others about him, how he rescued us from destruction and adopted us as sons and daughters. We are to teach people about Jesus and what it means to follow him. Our lives are supposed to be like emanating light from a beacon, giving hope to lost and wandering souls. Like Everton stadium and Solomon's temple, the work the Lord has done for me must be visible to others. We need to put on display Christ's grace in our lives and invite others to regularly celebrate it with us.
So, there is reason to celebrate and be thankful today: there is a new temple. It's not a football stadium, and it's not made of cedar and gold like Solomon's. It's you! God's Word says that we are his temple. Christ has sent his presence, his very Spirit, to fill us. Through his Spirit, he continues to give us gifts and power. He speaks to us and guides us.
So give thanks to him today. Give thanks for those whom he has put around you. Give thanks for your church. Give thanks for how he has provided for your daily needs. Give thanks in the little things. Give thanks for the work you see God doing in others. Give thanks when you don't feel like it. Give thanks for his grace for you through Christ that brings salvation.
Give thanks in all things. I promise, you won't overdo it.
Colossians 3:12–17
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Comments