Fantastic! I'm headed out for a walk soon and I'm taking your wonderings and reflection questions with me. Thanks for this. (I'm going to cross post it too - it was so good!)
"It does cause me to wonder: what lies have I allowed to set up shop in my soul—the holy place where God dwells—selling me trinkets and trash? What cynical shopkeepers have I allowed space, turning my rituals and grace-seeking into a farce?"
This is a beautiful analogy! The story of the cleansing of the temple reminds me that Jesus's contempt for the Pharisees was also evident on Palm Sunday. In Luke's account, the religious leaders were telling Jesus to quiet His rejoicing disciples, and in reply He said, "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!" Yesterday our pastor explained that this was in fact a devastating put-down, referencing a passage the Pharisees would have known well from Habakkuk 2: “Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin! You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it." Then I read your words: "All we need to be cleansed of are the things that set up shop in our minds and lie to us. The things that try to tie our holiness to our worth. The things that put a pricetag on grace. Turn those tables over." Amen and amen!
This is a good week for contemplating "holy horror". I like your reflection of cleansing: Christ knows us better than we know ourselves. The big question is--what does he know about us that we don't know, or maybe don't want to know?
Fantastic! I'm headed out for a walk soon and I'm taking your wonderings and reflection questions with me. Thanks for this. (I'm going to cross post it too - it was so good!)
"It does cause me to wonder: what lies have I allowed to set up shop in my soul—the holy place where God dwells—selling me trinkets and trash? What cynical shopkeepers have I allowed space, turning my rituals and grace-seeking into a farce?"
You're a wonderful writer. I resonate in this space you've created. 🌷
This is a beautiful analogy! The story of the cleansing of the temple reminds me that Jesus's contempt for the Pharisees was also evident on Palm Sunday. In Luke's account, the religious leaders were telling Jesus to quiet His rejoicing disciples, and in reply He said, "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!" Yesterday our pastor explained that this was in fact a devastating put-down, referencing a passage the Pharisees would have known well from Habakkuk 2: “Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin! You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it." Then I read your words: "All we need to be cleansed of are the things that set up shop in our minds and lie to us. The things that try to tie our holiness to our worth. The things that put a pricetag on grace. Turn those tables over." Amen and amen!
This is a good week for contemplating "holy horror". I like your reflection of cleansing: Christ knows us better than we know ourselves. The big question is--what does he know about us that we don't know, or maybe don't want to know?
By the Blood of Jesus Christ our Messiah and Passover Lamb let us spirit, mind and body be cleansed. Amen