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\u201cHowever, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: \u2018Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?\u2019\u201d (From the speech of Stephen to the Sanhedrin, Acts 7:48-50; quoting Isaiah 66:1-2).

Here again, we find ourselves in a setting marked by the conflict of kingdoms. Opposition arose against Stephen, one of the newly named Deacons of the church, because of the deeds he performed and the words he spoke. So Stephen was seized and brought before the Sanhedrin, having been accused of always \u201cspeaking against [the] holy place [of Jerusalem and its temple] and against the law.\u201d

In a lengthy speech that spans chapter 7, Stephen addresses these charges, showing how the message of Jesus lies in continuity with Abraham the promise-receiver, Moses the law-receiver, and the Creator God who never did live in a house made by human hands.

The leaders stoned Stephen for his message. Because even though the Gospel of Jesus Stephen preached was in continuity with the faith of Israel, Israel had begun to attach its faith more to the law and the place than to the God who created them both.

We do the same. We also attach our faith to our place and traditions. It happens quite naturally over time. Our worship space is a place of refuge and strength, like our God: made visible in the strong wooden columns and sturdy brick fa\xe7ade, along with the unchanging symbols of Alpha & Omega over one door, the Trinity triangle and Cross of the CRC logo over the other. It is a place where we come \u201cTogether, In Faith\u201d as the community of God\u2019s people. It is a place where we gather around the Word (pulpit), mark milestones like baptism, where we are fed at the table, where we pray for those who don\u2019t know Jesus (candle on the organ). Our place not only facilitates our worship, it becomes a tangible part of our worship and the container for the memories of our journey with God and one another through immigration, tragedy, celebrations, and the mundane rhythms of our weeks and years.

So we get attached to that place and space, its symbols, its memories, its people, and the worship of the God who we met there. And we miss it. Which isn\u2019t strange. Indeed, it is worthy of lament, especially the circumstances under which we were forced to leave our place.

But having left, we also need to hear Stephen as he quotes the word of God through Isaiah to us: \u201cThe Most High does not live in houses made by human hands.\u201d He has met us in this house, sure, but He is far bigger than this particular house of worship. He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth\u2014the one who claims sovereignty over all the places and spaces of our lives, including our home places or wherever else we find ourselves scattered to these days. And in just those places, our Sovereign Lord Jesus continues to meet us in our worship and the Spirit continues to comfort and equip us for our living.

God does not need a building to have a church. His people are His church. Still.

This is the time to be training our eyes anew to see our Sovereign God on the move. To hear His voice out in the more wild places of our wilderness wanderings. Because our faith is never to be attached to a building or place, but rather to our Immanuel, the God who is with us.

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