Finding Sanctuary in a Storm-Tossed World

A pastor was guiding a visitor through his church’s new, state-of-the-art worship center. “Your church is beautiful!” the visitor exclaimed. Replied the pastor, “Sanctuary much!”

 

It’s an old joke, but the term “sanctuary” predates it by centuries. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sanctuary as “a place of refuge and protection,” while Dictionary.com describes it as “the most sacred place of worship; a building for religious worship.”

 

The church at the Italian
city of Assisi, home of
St. Francis of Assisi

For many of us, convening at the place we commonly refer to as “the church” indeed feels like entering a place of refuge and protection. Just as naturalists establish sanctuaries for various kinds of animals and birds, a sanctuary where spiritual services are conducted can often seem like the proverbial port in a storm.

Surrounded by men, women and children sharing a common faith in Jesus Christ, hearing worship songs that point to Him and His glory, and listening to messages anchored in the timeless, unchanging Word of God, we can enjoy a brief retreat from the continual bombardment of untruths espoused by many in a society that has determined it no longer needs the Lord. 

 

This is why Hebrews 10:23-25 urges, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

 

King David alluded to this when he wrote, “I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory” (Psalm 63:2). Considering all the opposition David faced during his reign, it’s easy to understand the delight he experienced in places where he could worship the God of Israel. 

 

Alas – as Shakespeare and the poets of old used to phrase it – we can’t remain permanently in physical sanctuaries. We must return to a God-denying world and the sin-filled byways of everyday life. Even so, that’s not reason for despair.

 

Thanks to God’s Spirit, leaving a physical sanctuary doesn’t mean leaving His presence. We’re told in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” To make sure this important truth isn’t forgotten, it’s restated in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” 

 

Early in my spiritual life, when I would have been considered a “churchian” rather than a Christian, I somehow believed that when I departed the church building, I left God behind. I proceeded to live as if He didn’t exist until it was time to “visit” Him again the next Sunday. Only years later did I realize how deluded I had been.

 

David wrote about this in his collection of psalms: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there…if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7-10).

 

Sanctuary can also be found whenever we spend time reading and studying the Scriptures. Unlike any other book, the books of the Bible are like God’s love letters to His children, tangible evidence of His presence even when circumstances in the world seem swirling out of control.

 

David wrote in Psalm 32:7, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” That verse serves as the basis of a wonderful song, “Hiding Place,” recorded by the Christian group Selah and others: 

“You are my hiding place. You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance. Whenever I am afraid I will trust in you…. Let the weak say ‘I am strong in the strength of the Lord.’”

Those times when we can break away from the outside world and convene in a physical sanctuary, standing and singing worshipful music with fellow believers are inspiring and necessary. But as the Bible assures us, no matter where we go we can find sanctuary in the Lord our God. He is our fortified tower, our refuge, our stronghold, our rock, our hiding place. 

A Grim Reminder of Why We Need Each Other

Social distancing. Up until a couple of months ago, who knew that was even a thing? (Then again, who knew Coronavirus was even a thing?) But here we are, practicing the new virtue of social distancing, at least for the not-too-distant future.

Introverted individuals might not have known the term, but they’ve been cool with social distancing all their lives. So they’re adjusting to the new social norms pretty easily. No crowds? No problem! More people-oriented folks, however, have been discovering anew what “stir crazy” means. Their socializing tanks have become depleted, yet they’re instructed not to be around others who could refill them. Crisis upon crisis!

One of these days the pandemic will have come to an end and, hopefully, we can get back to normal mingling and interacting. But in the meantime, we have a grim, daily reminder of an important principle: We need each other. And it becomes even more evident when precautionary practices like social distancing and self-quarantining are instituted.

The reason for this is simple – it’s how God designed us. Since the dawn of creation, humankind’s need for fellowship has been evident. After deciding, “Let us (the Trinity) make man in our image…” (Genesis 1:26), the Lord ordained for the first man, Adam, to have companions. After creating “all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air,” He decided having animals around was insufficient. Adam needed a human companion and created the first woman, Eve (Genesis 2:19-23). We might say that was both good news and bad news!

But our need for others goes even further. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 we read that just as the human body’s health and proper functioning is dependent upon its various parts working in concert, we as followers of Jesus Christ also need each other:

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ…. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, whether would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be….”

Even as we tolerate social distancing for a while, consciously and subconsciously we realize we are dependent upon each other – even the socially reluctant.

Another passage in the Scriptures underscores the importance of being with others. To grow in our faith, we need to support one another. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25). The next verse adds another sobering reminder: “and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” This refers to the promised return of Jesus. 

For the moment – at least as I write this – we’re being admonished to semi-isolate, to avoid gathering in groups where germs from the virus could potentially be passed from one person to another. Before long, we hope, that necessity will have ended and we can again mingle to our hearts’ content. 

But let the lesson be learned about how we really do need one another, not just for how they can benefit us, but also for how we can be of benefit to them. Maybe this reality will make such an impression on us that we can actually get our noses out of our smartphones! We can only hope.

Let’s Not Give Up Meeting Together

How many times have you heard someone say, “You don’t have to go to church to be a Christian (or, a follower of Jesus).” Maybe you’ve said or thought this yourself occasionally. I have. A few times I’ve gotten frustrated about something and told myself, “Who needs church? I have my Bible, and I can pray and talk to God any time I choose to do so. You don’t have to go to a place of worship to do that!”

To a degree this is true, but in the words of the sage college football commentator Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend!”

Years ago I knew a strong believer who pointedly stated he didn’t attend church. He felt it gave him more credibility with non-believers – he could better relate to people with little or no church affiliation. Since he had no denominational axes to grind, he believed not-yet followers of Christ would feel more comfortable discussing spiritual matters with him.

My friend did regularly attract non-believers, able to vividly recall the days when he was among them. Declaring he didn’t attend church services regularly deflected accusations that he was “religious.” This man truly loved the Lord, studied the Scriptures diligently, and saw God bring many people to faith.

And yet, while this individual wasn’t connected to a specific congregation or denomination, he had many Christian friends with whom he interacted throughout each week. He didn’t “go to church” – a house of worship – most Sunday mornings, but was surrounded by strong believers to support him in his faith. 

Someone like this, however, is rare. Most of us, left to our own devices, won’t take the initiative to seek out other followers of Jesus without some kind of structured, formalized way to do so. This is one reason, I suspect, once-fervent believers fall away from the faith, becoming ineffective as Christ’s disciples or even abandoning their faith. Trying to sustain their faith in isolation, they find it’s very difficult to do. 

To illustrate the importance of remaining connected to other Christ followers, the apostle Paul used the metaphor of the human body: “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ…. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). The passage then proceeds to cite some of the gifts and responsibilities assigned to people within Christ’s church, showing how they should work together.

Just as my heart needs my lungs, brain, liver and other organs to continue to function and remain healthy, we can’t be faithful, fruitful Christians apart from the body of Christ: fellow believers with whom we spend time in a consistent, meaningful way. 

I came across a somewhat humorous, but accurate anonymous quote about this: “Sure you can be a Christian and not go to church. Kind of like a zebra separated from his herd getting eaten by cheetahs is still a zebra.” It’s not just unhealthy to fail to pursue time with fellow believers regularly; it’s dangerous.

Hebrews 10:23-25 sums this up so well: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

This “Day” refers to the Second Coming of Christ. No one knows the day or the hour when He will return, but the Scriptures assure us that He will. We’re certainly one day closer to it than we were yesterday, and some authorities on the “end times” assert that biblical prophecies about Christ’s imminent return are being fulfilled during our times.

So as the passage from Hebrews admonishes us, let’s cling to our hope, endeavor to spur one another on to live in Christ-honoring ways, and seek to encourage one another even in the face of news and events that seem very discouraging. And we can do this best as we assemble together regularly.