You Build the House

I Chronicles 22:11

Now my son, may the lord be with you; and may you prosper, and build the house of the Lord your god, as he has said to you.

There are things that our fathers wanted to do with all their hearts but they were not able to do because of the limitations of their humanity. They had the noblest of intentions but God had to let the next generation fulfill the desire of the previous generation. In 1984, Jesse Jackson ran for President of the United States of America but because he fought so hard for Civil Rights he was not in a place where he could unify all people even though he was a great hero of American History. His son, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. was able to help elect our first African American President because God used the next generation to build the house.

David wanted to build a magnificent House for the Lord. He gathered up precious stone, iron, timber, workers but he had to pass it to his son because God told David, “You have shed too much blood in my sight, but I will give you a son who will build the house.” David was a man of war but his son Solomon, whose name meant peace, was to build the house.

For decades the United States has been at war with the world and our House has been divided amongst racial and class lines. We now have a “Son” of both races, both the motherland and the “United States” to rebuild the House that our Father’s couldn’t finish. This generation is more prone to fight for Peace than they are to make War. This generation is about making sure that all people have adequate health care and equal opportunity. Dr. Martin Luther King was murdered because of his financial dream that poor people would have access to wealth just as the powerful few. This fear of rebuilding the house caused the government to assassinate its prophet because it threatened their profit. Now a son of the movement has to finish the house.

Our Fathers shed a lot of blood but we are to be sons/daughters of Peace. There are some things our fore-parents wanted to do but it’s up to us to build the house. Our Fathers wanted to build stable homes but because of the dysfunction of broken homes and generational curses they fell short, now we must build the house. Our Fathers wanted to build the House of racial unity but fell short because of the blood of lynching and racial terrorism, now we must build the house. Our Fathers wanted to build a country where every man/woman regardless of race, color, or creed could have the inalienable right to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness but we fell short because of the blood, now we pick up our pieces, roll up our sleeves, put aside our difference and Build this House.

In order for the next generation to build properly they need the blessing David gave Solomon:

1. May the Lord be with you. Notice David didn’t say, “I hope you fail.” Neither did he say, “Solomon talking down to black people…I want to cut his #$# off.” He said, “May God be with you! We must speak life into the next generation. Just as God was with Moses so he will be with Joshua. Whenever we closed in Benediction at my country church we would sing, “May God be with you, May God be with you, until we meet again.” This generation needs to know that God is with them. They need your blessing.

2. May you prosper! David left resources for his son to be in a place of prosperity. David worked hard to make provision for his son. David had to shed blood to establish his Kingdom. What David did disqualified him from building a house for God. Our Parents sacrificed their chance for us to have a chance. There are some parents that had to bust their knuckles in factories so that we could go to college. The best way to honor their blood is to take advantage of the open doors and build the house. The bible says that a righteous man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.

3. Build the House! It’s time for this generation to take action! We have to Build the house. We need to get involved with efforts like Habitat for Humanity and rebuild homes for people who can’t afford them. We need to go to New Orleans, Mississippi, Alabama and help rebuild homes devastated by tornadoes and storms. We need to go into our neighborhoods and help restore dignity and help first time homeowners get the dream of owning their own homes. One of the Principles of Kwanzaa says, we should practice Collective Work & Responsibility to build and maintain our community together and to make our Brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together.

Dear God, give us the strength to build the house. Help us to pick up where our father’s left off. It's time to build and restore peace to a world torn by war. Your house shall be called a house of prayer, Lord help us to rid the house of robbers and thieves. Lord, let us build you a house of prayer, peace, and prosperity for all people.

In Jesus Name.
Amen.