More Than Stone: Living the 2,000‑Year Story of the Church 

On Sunday 4 October, we celebrated our dedication festival. In this week's sermon, Reverend Angie Stupple celebrates the long history of a medieval church while reminding us that our identity is rooted in the 2,000‑year mission of Jesus Christ. Through Matthew 21:12-16, it calls the church to clear spiritual clutter, welcome the broken, defend the young, and ensure that ancient walls continue to echo with vibrant, Gospel‑centred praise.

If these stone walls could talk, what a story they would tell. The original parts of this beautiful church date back more than 900 years to the late 11th century.
 
Think of what these foundations have experienced. They stood through the medieval era, the Protestant Reformation, the rise and fall of empires, and the comings and goings of many generations. For over 900 years, infants have been baptised here, couples have been married here, and loved ones have been laid to rest in the shadow of this building. It is a staggering, beautiful heritage. It is entirely right that we celebrate it today.
 
But if we are not careful, celebrating more than 900 years could become a distraction. It would be easy to look at our history and think, look at what we have built. Look at how old we are. It is not unusual for some to view such a church as this as a historical monument to be preserved, rather than a living instrument of the living God.
 
Today, as we look at Matthew 21, I want to challenge our perspective. I want to suggest that this church is not 900 years old. It is actually nearly 2,000 years old.
 
Our reading today finds Jesus standing in the Temple of Jerusalem. That temple was historic. It was grand. But Jesus did not come to admire the building. He came to see its heart. When Jesus stood in that temple court, he was preparing to lay the foundation for something that would outlast the Roman Empire. It is approximately 1,993 to 1,996 years since Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. In less than a decade from now, somewhere between 2030 and 2033 the global church will mark 2000 years of the resurrection and 2000 years since the Great Commission.
 
Why does this matter to us today? It matters because 900 years ago, when the first builders laid the foundations for a church on this spot, they weren't starting something new. They were simply extending something that was already a thousand years old. The Church of Jesus Christ does not belong to a specific time or place. Our lovely church is just one visible link in an unbroken, 2,000-year chain of grace. And that reality changes how we see today’s gospel reading. It shifts our focus from the age of our building to the importance of our being and our purpose.
 
The reading starts with verse 12 by telling us that Jesus enters the temple, drove out all who were selling and buying and overturned the tables. He quotes Isaiah, declaring:

My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.

Over years, the religious leaders were distracted from the purpose of the temple. It may have started innocently - offering convenient currency exchange and selling animals for sacrifices to travellers. But it got out of hand and created obstacles and clutter so that the people couldn’t get in to worship. Commerce and the market place became all important.
 
Look at what happens the absolute moment Jesus clears the clutter. Verse 14 says: And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them.
 
In the ancient world, the blind and the lame were marginalized. They were often excluded from the inner courts of the temple because of ritual purity laws. The religious establishment had made the temple a place for the privileged and the insider. But Jesus clears it all to make room for the broken.
 
This is the heart of the Gospel. The blind and the lame could not fix themselves; they needed the miraculous touch of Jesus. And notice where they found him—in the temple. Jesus clears the physical clutter and for us this becomes a metaphor for the clutter of comfortable habits and rigid traditions that might blind us to the needs of our community – that might become an obstacle for those not familiar with our tradition. A 2000-year-old faith should never become a routine habit. 
 
For 900 years, this space has been designated for God. But why? Not to be looked at and admired. This church exists to be a safe place for the broken. It exists to be a sanctuary where all can encounter the healing, saving power of Christ. Our legacy is measured by the lives transformed by the Gospel within these walls, not just by the date carved into the stone. In the Old Testament, God had a temple for his people, and in the New Testament, God has a people for His temple! He lives in the hearts of his people, his church.
 
In verses 15 and 16 we see the clash between the old establishment and new life. The chief priests and scribes see the wonderful things Jesus is doing, and they hear children crying out, Hosanna to the Son of David! We are told that the religious leaders were angry. Why? Because children can be gloriously loud. Children can disrupt order. Children don't follow the established liturgy or respect the historic decorum of the temple. The leaders cared more about institutional dignity than spiritual vitality. But Jesus rebukes them by quoting Psalm 8: Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself.
 
We can be tempted to be creatures of habit, to become uncomfortable with change, to worry about a bit of chaos. But a truly Gospel-centered church realizes that the faith we hold does not belong to us. We are merely caretakers of it for the next generation. We must always be the fiercest defenders of the young and the children. We must ensure that long after we are gone, these ancient walls continue to echo with the beautiful, simple, heartfelt, passionate praise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
So let us celebrate today. More than 900 years of grace in our town is a magnificent gift. We praise God for every person who prayed here, every person who led in service or worked behind the scenes, for hospitality shared and flowers arranged and every sacrifice made to keep these doors open.

And as we look toward the amazing anniversary of 2,000 years of Gospel history, let us remember that Jesus does not judge a church by the architecture and grand design, but by the vitality of its faith. Let us celebrate our history while continuing to clear the tables, open our doors and ensure that the Gospel burns as brightly here as it did 2000 years ago when the children cried out Hosanna to the son of David.
 
Let us pray
 
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your faithfulness. We thank you for the 900 years of Christian worship and fellowship in this sacred place. We thank you for those who built these walls and maintained this sanctuary through centuries of trial and change.
Remind us today that we belong to a kingdom that is 2,000 years old, a kingdom that will never end, overturn our tables, clear out our spiritual clutter. Maintain this church as a house of deep prayer, a refuge where the broken find Your healing grace, and a place where the next generation will always hear the pure truth of the gospel. Amen.