"Spring Housecleaning Our Faith" - John 2:13-22 - March 26, 2000

Recently my son bought a house. I have been helping him paint, making repairs and preparing the house for him to move in. Since I don’t do construction on a regular basis the work has been tiring. It’s a real challenge, but I must admit it’s also rewarding to freshen up an older house and bring it up to date.

At first glance it didn’t appear that much work was necessary. However, once you take out all the furnishings, emptied the closets and removed everything from the walls you saw a place that was worn out and very much in need of new life. The walls which looked off white, were actually pale yellow. The ceilings, once white, were gray.

My son wanted to "open up" the living room by removing a wall that bordered the staircase. It was a major demolition project. But, when we were finished it was surprising how much brighter and cheerier the room was. It just so happens that I had the opportunity to visit the former owner a few days ago and I told her about our progress. When I explained how we had improved the living room she seemed a bit puzzled. I told her that now you could actually stand in the kitchen and see someone at the front door. Before that was impossible. For fifty years she wasn’t able to do that and so the concept seemed very foreign to her.

It’s amazing how a few minor improvements can add a completely different dimension to our lives. And there’s nothing like a little spring housecleaning to freshen up a home and make it a brighter and happier place in which to live.

This is also true for our faith. It too needs some spring housecleaning in order to be brighter and up to date. Our faith can become worn out and need of repair. When was the last time you attended an event in spiritual renewal or took a course of instruction? Or, when was the last time you participated in a retreat or read a few chapters in the Bible?

When Jesus entered the temple that day he found a faith that was stale, downright dirty. People were taking advantage of others and ritual had become more important than the condition of the heart. What Jesus did, I believe, was challenge a smug, hypocritical religious system that desperately needed to change. Therefore, a little demolition was necessary, not to mention an all out assault to clean house.

The faith community at that time was so wrapped up in rules and ritual the fresh revelation of God could not get through. It was impossible for them to "see" because they were blinded by obstacles that hindered their ability.

In this story we get an image of Jesus as a one-man wrecking crew, swinging a sledgehammer. There is no way to make improvements in an old house without making a mess. There is plaster dust, dirt, nails and smelly carpet. It’s hard work and impossible to paint without getting paint on yourself. I am sure that Jesus absorbed a few skinned knuckles that day, not to mention getting his garment dirty.

The faith community needed a good housecleaning and Jesus took it upon himself to do just that with zeal and determination.

I believe that Jesus was trying to "open up" the temple by making room for those who were on the outside. As far as Jesus was concerned God was present in a new way and he intended the faith to be inclusive, open to all. He had compassion for those who were being exploited and disdain for those who made the house of God a "den of robbers."

Jesus was more concerned about the temple of the body rather than the temple that was under construction for 46 years. It was cleansing of the soul that needed to happen, a good spring housecleaning of faith.

How do we cleanse our souls? When you clean out your closets this spring you throw away stuff you no longer need. That too needs to happen with our souls, ridding ourselves of grudges, prejudices and malice toward people we don’t like. When you clean your windows you allow more light to get through. By cleaning our souls we wash away old habits and remove clutter in our lives that can clear our vision and help us see.

My son discovered that beneath the wall-to-wall carpeting are beautiful hardwood floors. Our plan is to remove the carpet and refinish the floors in order to appreciate their original intended luster. Sometimes we have to look beneath the surface and allow those core values to be exposed, like love, grace and hope. For when they abound, others sense our spirit, and there is room for them in the community of faith.

One final note. Since my son began to work in his house and make all these improvements he has made several discoveries. For example, he found a step ladder in the basement that he needed to do his painting. On the garage wall are hanging garden tools, even a wheel barrow. The appliances had all been thoroughly cleaned. There was a trash can to place all the scraps and broken plaster pieces. A broom and dust pan were there too, all essential in the process of making improvements.

You see, the previous owner was also a member of the community of faith, in fact she is a member of this church. She just wanted to pass on as much as she could to make life easier for the next inhabitant.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio