A lot of thought and consideration has been put into the construction of this temple. It is a steel structure that meets and exceeds the building code requirements which have become stricter over time. The code takes into consideration failures it has seen during catastrophic events and then increases its’ requirements for a safe and secure building. Even non-structural things here like the exterior paint has a 30 year guarantee that will most likely greatly exceed that time-span, God Willing! It is built to weather the storms!!
All that being said, we are still doing some finish work on the interior as we push towards consecration. And keeping the building clean with all the activity we have is a constant effort, Glory to God!! It takes an effort of love to volunteer, and a bit of a sacrifice of what precious time we have in our day! Our time seems to be in great demand! Always remember to serve God first instead of with what you have left-over!
And so it is with our temple, our earthly vessel of soul, body and spirit we have been given to toil with and cleanse is always in need of some attention. St. Theophan speaks to us about this: “The chief evil with relation to the body is love for the body and pitying it. This takes away all the soul's authority over the body and makes the soul the slave of the body. And on the contrary, one who does not spare the body will not be disturbed in whatever he does by apprehensions born of blind love of life. (St Theophan the Recluse, "The Path to Salvation" p51)
We heard in 1Corinthians this morning: “Know ye not that ye are God’s temple, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If anyone corrupt the temple of God, God shall bring this same one to corruption; for the temple of God is holy, which ye are.” [1 Cor. 3:16-17] Now that I am Orthodox, this scripture does not mean God is going to throw lightning bolts at me like Zeus when I turn my back on Him and dance with the devil! It means that if we do not prepare our temple of body, soul and spirit, being near His Essence will burn our passions as we read in Hebrews: “For our God is a consuming fire.”(Hebrews 12:29) If we have spent our time purifying our hearts, then when we find ourselves in God’s presence, we will find a light of healing and joy. If we refuse God’s healing embrace, then His love will burn like fire, “for our God is a consuming fire” (Deut 4:24) It is a mystery! It will be here before we know it!
As I think back to when we were constructing this temple, the inspection office sent inspectors out periodically to ensure the assembly procedure met the code requirements. And of course, they would leave a violation or punch-list of things that weren’t quite of value for the longevity of our Church Building. These things we had to rethink and correct. We want this temple to be strong and be a place that is holy, worthy of God’s blessing. And we too want that blessing upon our Earthly temple if we yearn to be in His presence. Time is short; make the time to purify your temple, to correct the violations, rethink and correct!
Listen to the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil: He will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, His water will be sure.” (Isaiah 33:14-16)
The world we live in is a mess of satanic influences twisting the teachings of Christ and His Apostles. Spend time bringing your “temple of God” up to code and study the instructions, for the storms will land squarely upon your shores and your foundation must be true to withstand them!
Fr. Gabriel Weller 8-10-2025
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