Given by Rev. Madison Shockley July 18, 2021

Today, we talk about housing. In the reading, David lives in a fine palace but the Ark of God stays in a tent. It felt wrong to David that God was homeless. The prophet, Nathan, has a message from God. God has been house-less for quite a while. Are we ready to believe God is homeless? We do not treat our own homeless well.  They are often looked upon as dirty and sub-human. They are blamed and demonized for their situation. God does not approve of the way those that are homeless are treated.  The word “homeless” has negative connotations and has become toxic. Home gives us our identity. We feel safe within a home. Being called homeless denies their humanity.  They are no longer an individual but “something” to be dealt with.  During the pandemic, many Houses of God were shuttered. God’s presence was not diminished though. God does not need a house but it is people who need to put God in a “house”. We need a place to gather in community and worship. We need to give those who are homeless back their dignity and show we care. On the global scale, the people of Palestine are a people without a home. They were evicted from their homeland. We are urged to take action to give them the equal rights, full citizenship, and the ability to thrive that they deserve. God is wherever people gather. God does not need a house.
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