So much is happening in chapter 8 of 1 Kings that we almost want to get dressed up for an amazing celebration! The Ark of the Covenant is moved into the new temple, the temple is dedicated, a cloud of glory arrives, people have a mystical experience, and Solomon explicitly takes on the mantle of his father David. Then he begins to "preach" a kind of wisdom that is just amazing. While I am tempted to stay with the spectacle of the service of dedication, the sights and sounds and smells, I am compelled to go to the part of the sermon that Solomon gives and to bring it into a modern context.

This is a dress up day. It is a big day. The temple (that will one day be destroyed) is just now being dedicated. It is a moment of consolidation for the Jewish people, consolidation of leadership, of ar…