You are alive and active within me

The days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone. 

People often keep postcards or photographs of vacations or dream destinations on their kitchen walls or smartphones.   Why?   We’re trying, even if only for a moment, to experience something breathtaking, something amazing.   Seeing beautiful locations takes us out of our normal lives and gives us a sense of wonder.

The Temple in Jerusalem was one such place of wonder in the ancient world.   People spent their lives yearning to visit it.   This was the place where God offered healing and forgiveness.   Many traveled over long distances just to be there, and when they arrived, they were amazed by its beauty and grandeur.   Some were even converted when they saw the greatness of God that the Temple represented, when they saw how much he wanted to dwell with his people.   Although the Temple was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, pilgrims still travel thousands of miles just to see its ruins—perhaps longing for just a glimpse of God’s glory.

Where can you see the wonder of God’s presence today? In yourself! You don’t have to travel to Rome or Jerusalem to find God.   You have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that makes you a temple of the Lord!   Yes, you, with your doubts, fears, and sins.   Nothing can stop God’s desire to be present with you; not original sin, not the destruction of the Temple, not all the evil done by humankind, not even your own personal weaknesses.   Just as God chose to be present in the ancient Temple, he chooses to be present in you.

Here’s something even more wonderful: you carry God with you in the midst of your family, your co-workers, and even among strangers on the street.   You might not always notice it happening, but you are the hands God uses to reach out to them in love.   You are a marvel, made with more love and attention to detail than the Temple with all its costly stones.   The Holy Spirit, living in you, has the power to amaze, to convert, to heal. You are much more than just a postcard.   You are a temple of the living God.

word among us