The Tabernacle

“Jesus told them several other stories to illustrate the Kingdom. He said, 2. ‘The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. .3 Many guests were invited, and when the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify everyone that it was time to come. But they all refused! 4. So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared, and choice meats have been cooked. Everything is ready. Hurry!’ 5. But the guests he had invited ignored them and went about their business, one to his farm, another to his store.” Matt 22
I, your Father in heaven, offer to you an invitation. An invitation to a wedding feast. You, my bride. I have chosen you to be His bride. My Son awaits your presence. Would you come? I will not barter for your attention. I will manipulate you to come. I will not beg or hound you.

I simply invite.

And I will seek you.

Amidst the pressures, the commerce, the production of life, would you choose me?

I would allow you to touch the hem of my garment. I love you. I want to prepare you & take from you the garments of men. The garments that men have put onto you, for they are harsh & ill fitting. They add weight to your walk.

I however do not wish this for you, my bride, my chosen beloved. I have longed for you. Longed to bring you to my Son, prepared, ready, dressed in the finest linen, the best of my kingdom.

‘7 Let us be glad and rejoice and honour him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. 8 She is permitted to wear the finest white linen.’ (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by the people of God.) 9 And the angel said, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’ And he added, ‘These are true words that come from God.’ Rev 19

Today we saw what we believe to be a very strong physical presentation of God’s sovereign activity.

It is the 9th of November – the anniversary of ‘The night of the Broken Glass’ (Kristallnacht). This night in 1938 a mass Nazi action occurred. It signalled the beginning of 2 days of terror where 7500 Jewish businesses were ransacked, windows broken, 100 Jews killed & many others wounded, synagogues, schools, graveyards & homes attacked. All of this preceded the eradication program (now known as the Holocaust), that was birthed from here, Munich.

In the early hours of the afternoon, Helen, Joel-Mark & I witnessed the procession of the Torahs (including the partly burnt Torah from the 1938 Synagogue) to its new home in the St Jacob’s Platz Synagogue. Under a heavy clouded sky, masses of Police stood amongst a quite, somber crowd of onlookers. German, tourist, Israeli, they were all there. VIP guests entered the Synagogue area in a similar way they do at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem today — through high tech screening & scanning. TV crews scuttled about, many of them wearing Jewish keepers on their heads. The windowless, stone Synagogue with glass for a roof, the center piece… or was it?

This was the physical. What was happening in the spirit?

‘I found it very emotional. To see the Synagogue & to know what has happened in this city to this people — God’s chosen people – was a huge testament that you can never shut down God’s purposes. What he has spoken & breathed into creation, does not return void. God’s chosen people to represent him here on earth, have not been wiped out. 9000 of them are now registered in Munich. In 1938, 11000 of them were registered here. What He determines to happen, happens.’ Helen

‘As I was standing behind the security barriers watching I asked God, ‘Why am I here, why did you ask us to come in?’ He began to speak to me about honour and how this Synagogue being allowed here is honouring His people. (Within the old walled city of Munich there are only Catholic churches, no Protestant, Lutheran or Evangelical Churches). Then He said to me, ‘You are here to honour My people’. For awhile He has been talking to us about ‘not esteeming lightly that which is precious to His heart.’ Mark

Now I assume some people are going to be thinking, ‘But hang on these Jews are probably very liberal and certainly don’t acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah.’ This may be true, but for me this wasn’t about the people. It was about God and His name being honoured. It was about seeing a miracle of the Synagogue in the heart of Munich. It was about seeing God’s Word (the Torah) being honoured in a precession to the Synagogue and the Torah’s arrival marking it’s opening. I believe it is very, very good this has happened. This is important and strategic; things are coming into place.

God is sovereign and He is doing it.

Here I am Lord, waiting on you. What is on your heart today? This is your time. I need to bless you, focus on you.

‘The Alabaster Jar.

It was broken.

And poured out.

Over me.

It was poured out over me — not the poor, not the dead.

Over me.

It is always about me.

Never about the Alabaster Jar.

Never about the oil or its contents.

But about me.

I am the subject of this story.

I am the central focus

I am the hero of this story

Of this life. Put me in the centre & remove yourself.’