• I Kings 8:(1,6,1011), 22-30,41-43

David’s deferred dream to build a permanent place worthy to house the “ark” is now fulfilled by his son, King Solomon.  A grand procession conveys the”ark” from its tent-tabernacle to “the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place….”  After it is placed in its splendidly designed and crafted setting, “a cloud filled the house of the Lord,” (an allusion to the cloud that accompanied God’s people in the wilderness, Exodus 40:34-35), which brought the ministrations of the priests to a stop, “for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.”  At this dramatic moment, Solomon now prays “before the altar of the Lord.”  He acknowledges that “there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath.”  The distinguishing traits that make this God God are “keeping covenant and steadfast love….”  Specifically, Solomon recalls the promises made to his father, which are fulfilled this day and will continue in David’s succession, “if only your children look to their way, to walk before ” God.  He then acknowledges Israel’s conflicted feelings about this new Temple.  It is not possible for us to make a place for God to “dwell on earth.”  But, he continues by asking God to keep “Your eye on this place day and night” because it is the sacred place to which God’s people turn for prayer and because God promised “My name shall be there.”  And, because even “foreigners” will be drawn to this place. Hear their sincere prayers as well, the King prays.

• Psalm 84

Probably to be sung on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, this psalm expresses an aching longing to see the Temple.  The lyric envies birds who have made their nests in its many nooks and crannies.  “Happy” are any on pilgrimage as well as those who have arrived, because they are making a parallel pilgrimage “in their hearts.”  Longing motivates the pilgrim.  To finally arrive at the threshold for one day is better than a “thousand [alternatives] I have chosen.”

OR

• Joshua 24:1-2a,14-18

Having completed his life’s mission of conquering and settling most of the land promised by God to Israel, Joshua prepares to die.  Addressing God’s people one last time, he challenges them to chose between all other gods or “the Lord.”  The people join Joshua in reaffirming their allegiance to “the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight.”

• Psalm 34:15-22

The psalmist depicts the Lord as alertly listening for and responding to “the righteous” while turning the Lord’s back to “evildoers.”  Near is the Lord to the broken-hearted,” but “Evil will kill the wicked.”

• Ephesians 6:10-20

Reflecting one contemporary  explanation for evil as a cosmic battle between good and evil with humans as mere pawns or foot soldiers, the writer to the Ephesians  concludes his letter to these new Christians urging them to “battle against the cosmic power of the present darkness….”  But the armor he selects for this battle is unexpected to those who have not heard the gospel, but fully sensible to those who have heard and believed.  The follower of Christ arms herself with truth, righteousness, “the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Spirit, “which is the word of God,” and always with “prayer.”

• John 6:56-69

John’s lengthy commentary by Jesus after the miraculous feeding of more than 5,000 women, men and children concludes with assertions so stupendous that those who followed him to this point become uncomfortable.  Jesus so insistently and adamantly has declared himself to be an even fuller expression of God’s abundance than “your ancestors ate, and they died,”  that now even his “twelve” closest followers are becoming nervous.  Jesus confronts their discomfort directly: “the words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”  (John here inserts an allusion to one who will reject his words completely, Judas.)  Many of those who had eagerly been following Jesus to this point now turn away and leave.  Jesus asks the remaining “twelve” if they. too, will leave.  John’s narrative gives Peter the role of a hero of faith when he responds for himself and others: “Lord, to whom can we go?”  and then he avows: “You have the words of eternal life.”

Words… memory… story…

John’s long discourse by Jesus after thousands were fed to their complete satisfaction with more leftovers than the meager fish and loves with which they began is pivotal to his entire gospel.  Jesus has asserted that he is God’s love “in the flesh.”  He pushes the claim to the extreme when he said that anyone who “eats” this flesh and “drinks” this blood will live forever.  For many, he went too far when he insisted that he was an even greater expression of God’s love than God’s people had known throughout their centuries old love affair with God.  Now he encases these assertions in a medium that will endure when he says “the words (emphasis added) I have spoken to you [and lovingly put in writing by John and others] are spirit and life.” 

Solomon’s majestic dedicatory prayer for the Temple in Jerusalem describes, once again, the reason to establish such a place.  Although no place built by humans can contain God on earth, it is a sacred place because it “houses” the “words” that guarantee that God “keeps covenant and steadfast love…”  Joshua’s life-long mission concludes by repeating the “words” of Israel’s creed: “God brought our ancestors out of slavery in Egypt and did it all in our sight.”  The writer to the Ephesian Christians equates God’s Spirit as “the word of God.”

Words, memory, and story are literally our lifeline.  At the earliest possible age, we learn fundamental words like hot and cold, so we do not endanger ourselves.  Later, words become stories, which we want to hear over and over, and eventually as adults we put memories into words.  This is how we navigate life.

One of the ways we define ourselves over a lifetime is by the stories we “long” (to use the psalmist’s language) to hear repeatedly.  But the cause of this “longing” is not merely nostalgia.  These words, these stories heal, orient, motivate, soothe, inspire; they bring us joy, passion and purpose.  They actually do actual things in our lives.

One of the perennial themes of writers regarded as post-Modern is the centrality of words, stories and memories.  Hans-Georg Gadamer made his unique contribution to this discussion, but he also was an eyewitness to the development of Heidegger’s most important ideas.  Summarizing Heidegger’s insights about art in general and words in particular, Gadamer writes:

“A work of art does not ‘mean’ something or function as a sign that refers to a meaning; rather it represents itself in its own being so that the beholders must tarry by it.”  “As long as something is mere stuff awaiting its rendering, it is not really present, that is, it has not come forth into a real presence.  It only comes forth when it is used….”  “It is not simply the manifestation of a truth, it is itself an event.” (Philosophical Hermeneutics, pp 222-224)

Jesus says “the words that I speak are life and spirit.”  Their power is released when they are used.  We do not strain to recover an ‘original’ meaning, we eagerly and naturally study, repeat verbatim, riff, interpret, preach, sing these words for their impact.  These words, stories, memories put things and us back together in some coherent way so we know what to do and how to do it and are “happy,” (the psalmist’s word) to do it.  These words, stories, memories provide both meaning and instruction.  Lord, where else will we go; “you have the words of eternal life.”