The Sunday Sermonette – God Deactivated?

A weekend in the country is always a delightful experience, especially if it’s spent with dear friends. Many years ago, I spent a weekend like that, and the food, the banter, and the remembrances of days long gone were truly refreshing.

Over the weekend, we went exploring, traveling the backroads, marveling at grand mansions, abandoned buildings, and dilapidated houses covered in kudzu. Following the gentle curves of the road, we came around a corner, and to our surprise, a Hindu Temple stood glistening white in the afternoon sunlight. Its exotic architecture called out to us.

Every inch of the temple’s concrete exterior was covered with writhing carvings of elephants, horses, cows, bulls, tigers, and lions, each representing the rich tapestry of Hindu mythology and philosophy. A carved oak door stood at the temple’s towered entrance; its gilded doorknocker beckoned us. We knocked. No answer. Walking around the temple, we spotted another door. We knocked, and to our delight, a cute, squatty-round priest answered the door. He greeted us with a warm, somewhat toothless grin and invited us in.

What lay before us was a magical room adorned with chandeliers and carved teakwood columns. A white marble floor gleamed like a sheet of glass. Our reflections were wavy, almost comical. And the smell of sandalwood incense infused the room with its exotic perfume.

Perusing the room, we were amazed at the intricately carved niches in the temple’s walls. Each one held a life-like, painted porcelain figure. The figures were dressed in elaborate silk clothes, resplendent in colors of magenta, turquoise, purple, and sky blue. The priest explained that these were some of the Deities worshiped by Hindus around the world.

In each niche, I noticed a small faucet and drain, and asked what their functions were. To this day, I’ve never forgotten the smiling priest’s answer. He informed us that when the worshipers have celebrations inside the temple, the Deities are deactivated, which turns off their divine power. This allows the priests to wash them and provide them with a new set of clothes. Then they are reactivated to be worshiped again.

A God deactivated by humans? A God with no power until reactivated by humans? I mean no disrespect when I say I don’t want a God that I can deactivate. I want a God who deactivates me. I want a God who takes me out of my gilded niche, strips me, and washes me clean with His redeeming love and grace.

I want a God who can deactivate the cravings in my heart that hurt others and myself. One who can deactivate any evil that I might use against someone to get my way. One who can deactivate any self-righteousness within me or feelings of superiority towards others. One who can deactivate any greed or malice in my heart.

Father God, please reactivate in me a longing to love in your name, to do good works in your name, to feed the poor, to hold the dying, and to comfort the hurting. Please reactivate in me a clean heart and a yearning to be all that you would have me be.

I often think about the kind Hindu priest, and I am thankful that I met him. His passion for his multitudinous Deities renewed my faith in my one God, who makes my life more meaningful due to His presence and makes my world a brighter place because of my faith in Him and His Son, Jesus.

Ponder this and go forth.