The verse on the window…

Posted by Brad Reynolds on 14 April 2010

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the verse we have on our front window and that we often use, Mark 11.17. Jesus was upset the day that He said this because the Temple had been transformed into a place that was completely the opposite of its purpose. Rather than a place where people came to meet God, they were confronted by those who were selling animals for the sacrifice. I guess some could think that that was a normal activity since the animals were needed to do what God had asked the people to do, i.e. sacrifice. But apparently the sale of animals was taking more of a place of importance than the primary purpose of the Temple, i.e. meeting with God. I suppose this was a major distraction for the worshipers, something that clouded the original purpose.

It seems to me for a church to be a house of prayer, then prayer must be an important part of their life together. Sure other things happen in the building where the church meets but the primary purpose must remain meeting with God, encountering His presence, drawing close to Him. The other things, the distractions, need to either be removed or at least take a second place to the primary focus of the people who enter into the building.

I wonder what first time visitors might notice about our church building when they walk in. Would they be struck with the simplicity of the environment, nothing pretentious? Would they be surprised by the genuine happiness that members seem to demonstrate when they see each other? Or would they be taken aback by all of the children that seem to be everywhere? I suppose that what I would hope for would be a sense of God’s presence, a sense that God is really in this place. It seems to me that a house of prayer would be a place where the presence of God literally fills the house. In addition, there is simplicity, there is joy and friendship, there is life and there is holiness.

I would hope that if Jesus visited our church on Sunday morning, that He would be happy with what He discovered. Instead of feeling angry, incensed by what he sees, that He would feel that this was exactly what He had always planned. While I do believe He visits us every week, my prayer remains that He can easily say about us: “My house is a house of prayer for all nations.” Maybe we can keep the verse on the window after all.