House of prayer

Luke 19 : 45 - 48

My house will be a house of prayer........

It is telling when we allow a message to stay outside of ourselves; keeping it distant and 'safe'. Jesus drives out those who were busy using the temple, his Father's house, for business. Not a very nice scene we would imagine. But we are not people of the temple cult any more, are we? So perhaps this is really historical and not very applicable today. Well, perhaps Jesus might not be pleased if we hold bazaars at our church premises, but how often do we do that? Actually, someone in my church commented last week that he was not comfortable that the youth were promoting 'business' in the form of 'car wash' and selling home made cookies at church, to raise funds for their camp. So is it ok to do such things in church??

But there is a place that Jesus might want to enter in order to cleanse of things that are not fitting for a 'house of prayer'. It is our inner selves where we are told the Spirit dwells. The living temples these days are not of brick and stone but comprise human hearts. I know a lot of 'business' goes on within my heart and mind that distracts me from being the 'house of prayer' that Jesus is seeking. I know very well, how I get distracted when I sit at prayer, thinking of the hundred and one things I want to say to others, rather than attending to the One who is lovingly present with me. Perhaps it is good to be reminded that Jesus does want to cleanse our hearts and minds of all that is not becoming of a 'house of prayer'. Perhaps we ought to cooperate with him, welcoming him in to sort out what must go!