All the World's a Sanctuary
Sometimes we forget that all the world's a sanctuary. It's easy to think about God when we are sitting in a pew, looking through stained glass, or listening to the chancel choir sing an anthem. We lift our voices to God when we stand and sing hymns, partake in communion, and offer our monetary sacrifices, all within the confines of our worship centers. After all, worship happens in the baptistry of the church sanctuary, in its choir loft, from the pulpit, and in the sharing of peace-filled fellowship in its narthex. There is no denying this truth. Yet, we do ourselves a disservice when we confine the worship of God to a room within the church building, like our own church sanctuary. While there is something to be said about the community of faith gathering to worship together as one body in one place, God is more concerned with the content and shape of our hearts in his presence than the actual location of our individual and collective worship. While God's people ventured to Jerusalem before and during Jesus' day, to worship together, each tribe and nation went back to their own homes to continue and develop their relationship with God. Jerusalem and temple worship expressed the need for the corporate worship of a God who promised his people the land of Israel, who desired to be worshiped in the city of the Jews.
When Jesus came, he continued to demonstrate the necessity of corporate worship in the synagogues. He attended these places of worship and did so regularly with his disciples. Jesus honored the collective worship of God through the reading of Torah and the singing of songs and use of various instruments in lifting praise to the Father. Jesus gives us the example of the writer of Hebrews, that we should not give up meeting together as some were accustomed to doing, but to gather all the more as the Day of the Lord (last days) approaches. So let us meet to worship at UBC in our sanctuary! Let us offer praises and confession to our Savior, who forgives us, individually and corporately! Let us sacrifice what we have in order to honor the LORD and remind ourselves of the truth of Psalm 24:1 (NLT):
"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him."
But Jesus expanded the practice of worship beyond the confines of the temple. Therefore, a word of caution--never assume that worship happens in the church building alone. To assume this is true is to misunderstand the omnipresence of a God who desires to be worshiped wherever Christ is recognized as King. Therefore, it is imperative that we remember Christ is lurking in our everyday experience, hoping to be coronated in the way we express loving kindnesses to one another, in the way we mete out justice to those treated unfairly, and in the way we offer humble examples of mercy to those who might otherwise be ignored or excluded. This means that God's sanctuary (the place of safety) is wherever the Spirit resides--which is in all places at all times. Let us live a life of worship because all the world's a sanctuary.
While Mandi and Finleigh and I were on vacation recently, we revisited an ice cream shop close to a beach near Destin, FL. We had been there a couple times before, but this third and final time was life-giving indeed. Finleigh, being her extroverted and happy self began conversing with people in line, talking about the hermit crab she was going to purchase and take home to her classroom (they are studying a hermit crab named Pagoo in school). Some people waiting in line to order expressed their appreciation for Finleigh's interaction with them, and slowly but surely, new conversations among many of us ensued. I noticed a man wearing a shirt displaying the state of Tennessee and inquired if he was from there. This began a discussion which resulted in Mandi and I offering comfort to this husband and his wife (their 15-year-old son died of cancer just four years ago); Mandi shed tears as she leaned in for a hug of the wife. A few minutes later, we verbally engaged a couple who Finleigh had inspired, and this husband eventually told us that he had experienced a very tough year, having worked for several years and was laid off from work by his employer. Mandi and I noticed the forlorn look in his face and in the face of his wife, and so we asked them if we could hold hands and pray for them. We did exactly that. So, what began as a desire to get ice cream and leave shortly thereafter turned into a veritable night of worship, listening to the Spirit speak to our hearts and watching Jesus move between our conversations, offering the aroma of Christ to our God who had truly built a real-life sanctuary in the parking lot of a beachy ice cream shop.
God is everywhere. Therefore, all the world's a sanctuary.
The writer of Ecclesiastes warns us that our words must be few when we enter the sanctuary of our God. Perhaps this means that we must respect our location, wherever we are, as an opportunity to silently listen for the Spirit. If we are attuned to the work of Christ we will worship God while experiencing a gentle breeze, when we witness bottled water offered to a homeless man, or when we cover the rest of a bill for someone who realizes she's come up $5 short. Jesus tells us in John 4 that the true worshippers will worship God in Spirit and in truth; God is not just found on a holy mountain, he IS the mountain! El Shaddai is worshiped in all places at all times; the earth is his sanctuary!
How must this truth reshape our worship of God? Will we prepare our hearts each day as we do on Sunday mornings? Will we offer our resources on a Friday when we sacrifice our finances on Sunday, too? Will we begin to look for the glory of God in the way we work for justice and equity in our relationships, seeking mercy not just for the friend but also for the enemy? Will we see mission as more than just an Ingathering, but also in living out the gathering-in of Christ in our daily decision-making?
When you drive off the campus of UBC, you haven't left the sanctuary. You're still in it. God is still present. God is still waiting to receive worship.
All the world's a sanctuary, and God is calling us to worship his Son in Spirit and in truth. Let us worship likewise. Amen.
Seeking to worship God in all the earth,
Pastor Will
><> John 3:30 <><