Building God

An idol is anything that we love, honor, or trust more than we love, honor, or trust God. 

In the wilderness, the Israelites struggled to trust God. When Moses went up to the mountain to talk with God, they were afraid., and brought that fear too Aaron. All of the folks give up their gold rings and earrings and they fashion together a new God. 

God says the people are “ruining everything!” 

This story might sound far from our lives. We would never make a statue to worship. 

But are there other things we might gather up, a piece from everyone, and mold together into something that we might love, honor or trust…more than we love, honor, or trust God? 

Sometimes our community can help us discern the idols in our lives. Our friends and family might see it when we love, honor, or trust something more than we love, honor, or trust God. 

But often, our communities themselves have tendencies to try to run themselves instead of being governed by God. The golden calf was a fairly decided solution. But it wasn’t the right one.  The folks all got together and they decided what they wanted. 

In the same our churches, our friend groups, our community organizations, can lull us into idolatry. 

Because if everyone else, included godly people we admire, say something is good, we might not do further discernment ourselves.  And even communities who gather for prayer and preaching and worship every week. Communities that go faithfully to weekday Bible studies. Even they are susceptible to idolatry. 

I’m sure you can all think of examples of churches worried about the wrong things. Churches where the altar guild got in a throw down about what color the carpet was going to be. Churches where folks left because the pastor read out of the wrong bible translation. Churches where the people were more focusing on building a steeple taller than the baptists than there are sharing the gospel with their neighbors. 

Whether it’s steeples or carpet or potluck traditions or the translation of the Bible we use—-any of these things can be signs of idolatry on our communities. When we love status more than we love God. When we honor our own preferences more than God. When we trust our plans more than God’s power. 

Sometimes this comes from communal selfishness—caring only for the people inside. People who are already here. When we love God more than anything, we love our neighbors recklessly. Not just because they are in the same group or club or family. 

Sometimes this comes from communal pride—when we are more interested in the glory of our institutions than we are honoring God. 

Sometimes this comes from communal fear—when we know in some part of us that we can trust God’s promises, but we will feel better if we can build something for ourselves. Something we can look at. Touch. 

I’m sure you can all think of examples of communities that you’ve been a part of that had common idols. 

We have to acknowledge that discernment is more than finding consensus, and that a modge podge of our preferences will not equal God’s will for us.