The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any one of His people among you – may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.
Ezra 1:2-3
The temple at Jerusalem was built in the tenth century BCE by King Solomon, and, after some troubling years, was completely destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE. Later, Cyrus the Great authorized the temple's rebuilding. Twenty-three years later, the new building was completed. It stood until the Siege of Jerusalem, when the invading Romans destroyed it totally and finally in 70 CE.
The rebuilding was intended to provide a central place for the faithful to worship the Lord. It also served as a place for the faithful to gather in community and serve God by serving one another.
Does the preceding paragraph remind you of another town and place of worship? Maybe the town could easily be Lothian. The place of worship could be St. James' Parish.
Sometimes, we think that we don't do enough to answer God's call to us. We should always strive to do more, but look at the list on the west wall of the church. This was prepared by Kerry Smith to serve as a constant reminder of all the wonderful things our parish does for its members, friends, and neighbors, including those unfortunate souls who don't have all the material blessings many of us have. Our parish has taken to heart these words from Matthew: "…just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."
We don't call our beloved church a temple, but that's what it is, and we have built it. A temple to our determination to follow the word of God in all that we say and in all that we do.
The Rev. Bob McCoy
