The disciples were startled and terrified.  The presence of the risen Lord changed everything.  Jesus was about to send them out into the world as witnesses to this new day of resurrection life and experience.  Something of the wonder, the mystery and the greatness of the living God is here.  It was there too in the heart of Solomon as he prayed the prayer of dedication of the Temple which he had seen built.  The wonder and beauty of the building opened his heart to the greatness of God – the God whose life and being can never be contained within the walls of any building however fine and beautiful. 

What the disciples experience did and what the day of consecration of the Temple did was open hearts and lives to the extraordinary mystery of the love of God. 

Buildings speak.  They speak of the truth they represent and of the faith of the people who built them and who inhabit them.  Every time I go into Parliament I am reminded of the greatness of the task of lawmaking and of representing the people of our country, of the importance of power and its right use.  The building speaks and calls those who inhabit it to remember how great is the trust placed within them and of the need to understand our own need for humility and a sense of proportion about our own lives. 

Churches are called to speak to people of the wonder and mystery of the love of God which the world has seen so beautifully and at such cost in the person of Jesus Christ.  Every age feels that differently.  That is why we have such a variety of styles of churches.  This one clearly belongs to the final years of imperial life in England.  But all churches speak of how the people wanted to express something of their faith in God.

Solomon was awestruck – not just at the building he had built – but at the mystery of God to which his faith called him and all the people.  The disciples were terrified when the risen Christ came and offered them the traditional greeting of ‘Peace be with you’.  Then their hearts were warmed as they came to know that it was Jesus among them bringing them again into the heart of the love of God and calling them to a new life of witness to this truth. 

That is why St John’s was built.  To ensure that the people of this new and growing community of Epping had among them a building and a people calling them to open their eyes and their hearts to the mystery of God and the beauty of his redeeming and transforming love in Jesus Christ.

We need to think carefully about the needs of people if they are to find their way into this church and be encouraged to discover its truth.  That is why we have to go on attending both to how we inhabit this church and to its facilities.  We must do all in our power to ensure that it is a place of welcome and people are able to enter and come to terms with its message.  It must speak of its worshipping heart.  It is lovely to go into increasing numbers of churches today and find easy notices that speak of the meaning of the furnishings and ordering of the church. Children from schools, casual visitors and people who come seeking help and comfort need to find it a place which speaks clearly to them.   

Because the faith is living and Christianity calls us to a journey of faith and life the building needs to speak of this living faith.  It is not a mausoleum that must not be touched!  It will always be changing and adapting as the needs of the journey of faith change with the generations. Sometimes I hear of people who, when it is suggested that something be moved, throw up their hands in horror as if proposals for change are a sort of sacrilege.  Thankfully, I am sure we can keep this church safe from the Victorian Society!  I am always amazed at how people who admire the work of the Victorians who changed our churches more than any other generation can then spend their energies resisting changes today!

As the years go by the hidden life of this church is shaped by the prayers and witness of the people.  Today we remember those who made it possible to build it and then complete it.  Here the people have come to pray for God’s mercy and protection during war, to celebrate the great moments of national life, to commit their marriages to the love of God and their children to the care of Jesus Christ and their loved ones in death to the mystery of the everlasting peace and life of heaven.  All of that is in the atmosphere.  It encourages us to continue the journey of faith in our time and to make known the mystery of the love of God in Jesus Christ through the life we experience when we gather in this church.