Words by our Priest-in-Charge:

Spring Cleaning

(Jesus) saying to them, ” It is written, ‘ My house is a house of prayer, ‘ but you have made it a ‘ den of thieves. ‘”Luke 19:46

I always wonder, where does all the rubbish that we throw out during spring cleaning come from? I have asked around and one of the answers I gathered was: we tend to accumulate what is unnecessary in the house during winter because it is not convenient to go about and tidying up the house, clearing the storerooms, etc when it is cold and uncomfortable. So, we started to “procrastinate” and accumulate. When spring comes, we then realize we have to clean up and unload for the New Year.

Jesus needed to go into the Temple and do a cleansing during His days on earth. Much like spring cleaning, there were many unnecessary practices and ungodly culture developed in the life of the Temple. Jesus reminded His hearers that God’s House is called the House of Prayer – a place of worship that brings honour to God.

If our lives are likened to the Temple of the Holy Spirit, we are to be called a House of Prayer. Each one of our lives as disciples of Jesus is designed and purposed to reflect the Glory of God, to demonstrate His faithfulness and grace. Yet, there may be in our lives, at some points, we have accumulated “rubbish” that hinders us from living a life of worship of God. In fact, these rubbish has made our lives as “a den of thieves”, a place where robbing and stealing from the enemy is constantly found. The enemy has through the sins and ungodly practices we accumulated over time, found his way into our lives and our family.

When did we start to accumulate all these rubbish? For me personally, these were accumulated during times of compromise. When it is more convenient to compromise and avoid possible conflict and inconveniences. For us to have an effective spring cleaning of our lives, we need to first and foremost recognize our compromises and sins, repent from them and ask God to cleanse us from all unrighteousness resulted therefrom. Our Heavenly Father is faithful and just, and He will forgive us of our sins and free us from the consequences of our unrighteousness. He will restore us to be “a House of Prayer”.