temple israel
Tonight, Katy and I went with Cori to Temple Israel next to Utica Square. It was an assignment for one of her psychology classes and since we were planning to hang out anyways, we joined her. Rabbi Charles P. Sherman spoke from Exodus 40. His message was “When Our Creations No Longer Belong to Us,” focusing on verses 33-35. Moses finished the work of the temple and then God’s glory filled it so powerfully that he couldn’t even enter it. The point: there comes a time when we have to let go of the very thing we’ve created, worked on or given birth to because it doesn’t belong to us. Moses couldn’t even enter the tabernacle he had built. And Moses wasn’t the one to use it either, Aaron was.
One thing that was eye-opening. We must have sung 20 or 30 different songs, all Psalms or liturgical hymns that were packed with worshipping God as the creator, protector, life-giver, deliverer, sustainer, etc. It was all about him. And while the service felt more like going through the motions, I could see that the intention of the heart was there in the tradition. What the psalmists had intended was for God’s people to be worshipping continually, throughout the service, throughout the day, throughout their lives.
How much time and energy do I spend expecting and asking God to do more for me compared to the time I spend just praising and worshipping him for who he is and what he has already done?
