Mtr Mary Trainor

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness...

Dear friend,

When a good (or necessary) thing goes wrong. That’s the dilemma for us in today’s Office Gospel from John. Jesus has just come from the wedding in Cana to Jerusalem, in time for Passover. In the Temple he finds vendors selling the animals required for worship, and moneychangers, there to convert currency from the various locations to currency required for worship.

Required for worship. The great majority of worshipers have traveled, some from afar, for Passover. Animals likely would not have made the whole trip, and finding temple currency at home was not possible. So, it seems a convenience, perhaps even a courtesy, to have these things at the ready when they arrive.

Jesus sees it otherwise, and proceeds to clear the temple of the animals and the vendors: “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”

I get it. And I am worried by it. Don’t the people need those things for worship? Can this be reconciled?

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly trust in Jesus' Name.

An event in seminary helped me understand this better than anything else I’ve encountered. We were blessed to hear from a well-known preacher and philosopher from the South, Will Campbell. He was a Baptist and, counter to some of his peers, extremely progressive socially and culturally. He was a Southern anti-racist of many years.

Campbell told a story of being hired by a Texas mega-church to assist in its search for the next senior pastor. He was given free rein to look over everything, attend all meetings, ask questions.

What he found was astounding to him: an enormous, mall-like creation that included worship space--but also, hair and nail salons, toy stores, an arcade, a coffee house, and the like. Businesses to serve the everyday needs and wishes of members, guaranteed to draw them in. No need to ditch church now. You can go to worship and get your hair styled. A two-fer, proven to deepen piles in offering plates.

Time drew near for Campbell to report his findings to the board. He began this way: “I want you to know I have taken the liberty to arrange my own transportation to the airport.”

The chair then asked, with an expectant smile: “So, what do you think of our ‘little’ church here?”

Campbell looked the man in the eye, and said: “I think it’s an abomination. You should knock it to the ground and start over.” He stood and walked away.

They had gone too far. All the accommodations intended to make worship friendlier, easier for hard-working people to attend, also made it easier to become distracted, to focus less on worship.

It’s a cautionary tale for me—maybe for you, too. If making faith comfortable ever becomes more important than worshiping the true and living God, then I should be careful. The very ground that holds me up may be giving way.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Mtr Mary