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Two weeks ago, my son went camping. Apart from a close encounter with a rather rabid looking raccoon, everything went smoothly. However, it rained. The tent was soaked. We bundled it into a black garbage bag and brought it home. Then we laid it out in the basement to dry.

Today is a beautiful day so now that the tent is dry it's the perfect opportunity to pack it away.

The Israelites were a nomadic people. During the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they lived in tents. And during the forty years in the wilderness, they lived in tents. In the wilderness, one tent was very important. It wasn't a tent any human lived in. It was the place where God dwelt. It was called the Tabernacle.

The Tabernacle was a special tent. It symbolized the very presence of God. It was holy. There were rituals and regulations about approaching the tent. The Tabernacle foreshadowed the temple in Jerusalem, which became the symbol of God's presence and where sacrifices for sin were offered so people could approach God.

In the New Testament, Jesus is the fulfillment of all that the temple means. He is the very presence of God among us and his sacrifice on the cross was the final sacrifice for sin. The temple sacrifices are no longer needed.

Now, with the coming of Jesus and, at Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit, all those who know Jesus are the temple of the Holy Spirit. God takes up residence in us. We become his examples of holiness and grace and love in the world today.

Listen to these words from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

When we packed my son’s wet tent into the black garbage bag, brought it home to dry, and today packed it away, we did so because if the tent remained wet, it would soon start to smell, become mouldy, and even rot. To dry it was important.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to holy living because God dwells within us. How we speak, think, and act are to display God's holiness. God does not want us to become mouldy or spiritually rotten. So, we pray, read scripture, enjoy fellowship, worship together, serve, give, and witness. These are how we remain healthy before God and how God by his Holy Spirit can shine through us so the world can receive Jesus.

We ensured my son's tent was dry so that it could be used again. Let us pursue holiness so day-by-day we can be used for God’s glory. As Paul says in this passage, “…you were bought with a price [that's the precious blood of Jesus]. Therefore, glorify God in your body.”

視頻大意翻譯 (video Chinese translation):

兩週前，我兒子去露營和釣魚了。除了與一隻相當瘋狂貌似狂犬的浣熊近距離相遇外，一切都順利。但因下雨帳篷被淋濕了。我們把它裝進黑色垃圾袋裡帶回家，然後把它攤開在地下室晾乾。

今天天氣很好，帳篷已經乾了，正是收拾的好時候。

以色列人是遊牧民族。在亞伯拉罕、以撒和雅各的時代，他們住在帳篷裡。在荒野的四十年，他們住在帳篷裡。在荒野中，帳篷非常重要。那不是人類居住的帳篷，而是上帝所居住的地方。那被稱為帳幕。

帳幕是一個特別的帳篷。它象徵著上帝的同在。它是神聖的。關於接近帳幕有儀式和規定。帳幕預示了耶路撒冷的聖殿，那裡成為上帝同在的象徵，人們在那裡獻上贖罪的祭品，以便接近上帝。

在新約聖經中，耶穌是聖殿的實現。他是上帝在我們中間的真實同在，他在十字架上的犧牲是對罪的最後犧牲。不再需要聖殿的獻祭。

現在，隨著耶穌的降臨和五旬節時聖靈的賜予，所有認識耶穌的人都是聖靈的聖殿。上帝在我們中間居住。我們成為他在今天世界中聖潔、恩典和愛的榜樣。

哥林多前書 6:19-20說：

「豈不知你們的身子就是聖靈的殿嗎？這聖靈是從神而來，住在你們裡頭的，並且你們不是自己的人，因為你們是重價買來的，所以要在你們的身子上榮耀神。」

當我們把兒子濕透的帳篷裝進黑色垃圾袋，帶回家晾乾，然後在今天收拾，這麼做是因為如果帳篷保持朝濕，很快就會開始發臭，發霉，甚至腐爛。乾燥是很重要的。

作為耶穌的追隨者，我們被呼召過聖潔的生活，因為上帝居住在我們裡面。我們的言行舉止應該顯示出上帝的聖潔。上帝不希望我們變得發霉或在靈性上腐爛。因此，我們禱告、讀經、享受團契、一起敬拜、服事、奉獻和見證。這些是我們在上帝面前保持健康的方式，也是上帝藉著他的聖靈透過我們照亮世界，使世界能夠接受耶穌的途徑。

我們確保兒子的帳篷乾燥，以便可再次使用。讓我們追求聖潔，這樣我們每一天都可以為神的榮耀而被使用。正如保羅在這段經文中所說的：“你們是重價買來的 [就是耶穌寶血的代價]。所以，要在你們的身子上榮耀神。”

讓我們禱告。

主啊，感謝你的恩惠和良善。感謝主，你愛我們，充滿我們，呼召我們侍奉你。感謝主，你賜力量給我們，裝備我們為你而活。我們祈求，主啊，願我們確實敏銳於聖靈的引導，渴望且樂意跟隨你，並迅速將榮耀歸給你。我們奉耶穌的名祈求，阿們。

Grace and peace

Pastor Callum