“The [other] Jews then said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But [Jesus] was speaking of the temple of his body.”
(John 2.20-21

“A temple is a landscape of the soul.”
(Joseph Campbell)

The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 CE when the Romans put down a Jewish revolt. After the Temple’s destruction, synagogues (“meeting places”) became centers of Jewish teaching and worship.

In the period following 70 CE, Jews claiming Jesus as messiah who was co-equal with God, were expelled from the synagogues.

John’s gospel is believed to have been written ca. 90-100 CE. The Temple (and its destruction) are fresh and painful memories.

Now, hear this passage with all this in mind. How are the faithful to make sacrifice without the Temple? Answer: Sacrifice isn’t needed. Where do faithful go to experience holiness of God? Answer: Jesus embodied all holiness.

As an Interim Pastor, I often ask congregations, “How would you be church if your building was gone tomorrow?” The answer comes from the witness of the Christian New Testament: a Church is a mystical body, a manifestation of the body of the risen Christ. To be church in the 21st Century is to be like the Church in the 1st Century. We are an incarnation of the mystical body of the risen Christ.

So, what does this mean for Open Door, a church without a building? As your Interim, I can’t ask the usual question “How would you be church…?” because you don’t have a building. The question of how to be church is still relevant, though. How do you embody the risen Christ? How do you act like the Acts of the Apostles? How do you feed the lambs and sheep?

Just asking for a friend!