Sunday, Dec 20: God's Covenant with David

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

7 Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” 3 Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”

4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: 5 Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. 7 Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders[a] of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” 

8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; 9 and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.

16 Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

God tells Nathen to tell David that God does not need a house.  God is dynamic, and moving, and living, and always in the midst of God’s people wherever they are.  We might like a place to gather – but God doesn’t need it.

Wow.  What a message for this time in our lives!  The pandemic has prevented us from worshiping together in the church building – but it hasn’t stopped us from worshiping God.  And it certainly hasn’t prevented God from being with us.

I can’t wait for the time when we can gather together again in our sanctuary, but that’s because I miss being with you – not because I think God needs us to.  It has been hard to be apart physically, but I give thanks for Zoom and Facebook, and for texts, emails, and phone calls.

Maybe in the time of “No” we can’t gather, we are rediscovering what Jesus knew all along – and what that favorite song teaches us… “The church is not a building – the church is a people!”

Emmanuel!  God is with us!