I've had the privilege of working closely in the process of securing HMCC's future home, particularly on the financial and legal end of things. It has been a joy for me because I have been able to utilize the skill sets that I gained while working on Wall Street and in corporate finance at General Motors; the years of projecting future cash flows on Excel to complete billion dollar transactions are now proving to be extremely useful!
Recently, in the midst of working out some of the fine financial details of the transaction, a friend of mine insightfully pointed me to Exodus 35-36. In this portion of Scripture, the Israelites are traveling through the Sinai desert on their way to the promised land. Along the way, the Lord commands His people to construct a tabernacle as a dwelling place for Him. The Lord gives very specific instructions to the Israelites on how to construct the tabernacle: "...the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it; the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence..." (Exodus 35:11-13).
Quite a complicated endeavor, indeed! But God doesn't just leave them hanging. He fills His people "with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts" (Exodus 35:31) in order to accomplish this task. "So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded" (Exodus 36:1). It is important to note that for the Israelites, however, that the end goal is not the tabernacle. Rather, God's plan for the Israelites since day one has been that "all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:13). The tabernacle is just one part in fulfilling this plan.
As I have been reflecting during this 40 Days-to-Destiny period, I believe that God is doing the same today in our church, giving many skills, abilities, and knowledge to our members in order to accomplish His goals. But it's not just about acquiring a building. Similar to the Israelites, our destiny is far greater than that. Our destiny involves shining the light of Christ in Ann Arbor and to the ends of the earth. The building is simply a piece of the puzzle.
And if indeed we are descendants of the Israelites through faith, "all the peoples on earth will be blessed."