The Dedication of the Chancel

When the foundation of the second temple was laid, there was great rejoicing, but the older priests wept as loud as the sounds of joy, for they remembered the first temple, how much more grand it was. Yet Haggai comforted them with the promise that the temple would yet be greater; for the greater temple, we now know, is the Body of Christ, whose incarnation fulfilled what the temple stood for. So our church is not the temple; rather, it houses the temple. For the Body of Christ is given from this altar. This is why we do what we can to make our place of worship beautiful. From the altar the Body of Christ is distributed, and we enter by receiving him into the true Temple of God. Sermon for the Dedication.