Ezekiel 43:1-27 (NKJV)

¹  Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. 

²  And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.

Ezekiel 11:22-23 “So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them. And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.”

Note: In this vision, which includes a very detailed description of a temple that has yet to be built, is the reverse of the terrible vision Ezekiel experienced when he saw God leave the temple in Jerusalem and go to rest on the Mount of Olives before leaving entirely. Here is the point that intersects my life; not whether this temple will every actually be built or whether it is purely symbolic but whether the Spirit of God shows up when the church meets. Nothing that the church does in worship rises above empty ritual if the Holy Spirit is not involved and God is not present. I once heard a fellow who was a bishop in the Orthodox Church Outside of India speak. He said that the foremost concern of the American church was whether they were friendly and relevant. He said that the foremost concern should be whether the Holy Spirit shows up. Perhaps one of the frightening lessons of Ezekiel is that if the Lord can leave the temple, He can leave a church as well. When was the last time I prayed and asked the Lord if His Holy Spirit was comfortable being present in the Sunday worship of our congregation?