For the last few weeks, St. Paul has been using the image of the Body to help us understand our relationship with Christ and one another.  When we imagine the Church as a body, we understand that working together with those around us is the natural thing to do, and understand how selfishness is unnatural and counter-productive.  We also get a sense of how the Mystery of Baptism grafts us to this Body; how Repentance restores us when we have rendered ourselves from it; and how Communion is the life’s blood that continually infuses us and every part of the Body with vitality and vigor.  Thanks to this image, we also understand what a blessing it is to have a head guiding us that is both loving and omniscient; submission becomes less a test of our faith than a rational and joyful response to the perfect order of things.

And while this image of the Church as a living breathing person teaches us a lot we might otherwise misunderstand, it does not help us understand all of the Mysteries God would like to reveal to us.  God’s use of parables and imagery is designed to open our minds and draw us closer to the Great “I AM”.   This requires that He come at us from a variety of different angles.

Today, the Apostle of Christ has turned from the imagery of the Church as a body and us as its members to the image of the individual Christian as a physical temple.  I think that one of the reasons for the change is that the image of “building a temple” moves us from a more passive understanding of our proper place in relation to God and others, to a more active one designed to remind us that we have work to do, and that this work should be done well.

The image of the temple would have resonated in a special way to the Jews: the temple was central to their identity; there was only one temple; everyone knew about it; and much of Jewish scripture was dedicated to describing exactly how God wanted it to be built. 

How do we build a temple? 

We may not be as familiar with temple lore as the Jews of St. Paul’s time were, but the image of erecting a building still has a lot of meaning for us.  For instance, we know that you have to begin by having a proper foundation [describe?].  This is true of constructing ourselves as temples, too: we have to build our body-temples on Christ.  He is the “Solid Rock”; all other ground is “sinking sand”.  In case you are not familiar with this amazing hymn, it was Christ Himself who said;

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. (St. Matthew 7: 24-37)

Any foundation other than Christ will not allow you to withstand the buffets that will inevitably come.  But we all know that the builder cannot stop with the foundation. Once you have to planted yourself firmly on Christ, you have to actually build the temple.  Some of our ancient folk wisdom may help us to understand the importance of doing this well:  the three little pigs.  If you do not take time and care in building your temple, it may fall to nothing the first time that the wolf comes a’blowin’! 

Saint Paul is giving the original - more dignified - version of this truth when he says in today’s lesson;

1. “Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,  each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.”
   

What sort of work are you building?  How will it withstand the winds of temptation and trouble?  Will it blow away, leaving you naked and alone, buffeted about about until you end up sinking in sand? 

Build your temple on Christ.  Fortify it with pious habits; with daily prayer, love of your neighbor, humility, reading the Scripture, communal worship, and participation in the Sacraments.  These are your bricks, your gold, and your precious stones.  If you do this, then your temple will not fall, and you will never face adversity alone.  You may “suffer loss”, but you will be saved.  You will become the temple of God and the Spirit of God will dwell in you, will protect you, and will sanctify you.  As St. Paul says; “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.  For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”