Sanctuary
Calvary Baptist Church
November
14, 2004
The Gospel reading for today
is
from Luke 21: 5-19.
The reading, as a whole,
is an apocalypse,
and
it is on the lips of Jesus.
I am not of the school of thought,
which
holds that Jesus
was not given to
apocalyptic
beliefs.
I think Jesus of Nazareth,
Jesus
the Galileean
was convinced
that
God's kingdom
was
about to break
into
history
in
fullness.
So I will read you the whole reading,
because
I want you to hear it all…
even though I only want to talk with
you about the opening words.
"When
some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones
and gifts dedicated to God, he said, "As for these things that you see,
the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be
thrown down." They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what
will be the sign that this is about to take place?" And he said, "Beware
that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!'
and, 'The time is near!' Do not go after them. "When you hear of wars and
insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but
the end will not follow immediately."
Then
he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and
plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
"But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they
will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before
kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to
testify. So make up your minds not to
prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that
none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be
betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will
put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will
perish. By your endurance you will gain
your souls.
This
is an apocalyptic vision
of the end…
and
how to be delivered through it.
But my real concern today
is with the opening verses of this
apocalypse…
the
words about the temple.
"When
some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones
and gifts dedicated to God, he said, "As for these things that you see,
the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be
thrown down."
I
think the opening words here
actually were the exchange
between Jesus…
and
not just some people…
but
between Jesus
and one of
or all of his Disciples…
as
Matthew and Mark indicate.
I
think these simple people from Galilee
may have been very impressed…
or more likely
blown away
by
seeing the temple
for the first time,
or for the first time in a long time,
or for the first time up close.
Kind
of the way
we might have been
on seeing Washington D.C.
the
Capitol,
the
Washington Monument
for the first time in real life.
I
think Jesus,
who had cleansed the Temple
of the money changers
a
few chapters earlier,
may have wanted to quell
the excitement for…
the infatuation with…
this
physical building…
as if the Temple was perfect
in its
splendor.
No, as he probably said at the
cleansing…
Quoting from Isaiah 56: 7
My House shall be called a house of prayer
for all people…
for all nations.
The Temple was not for show,
but for gathering all people
even
gentiles together.
But
the saying goes on
to speak, predictively, of the
destruction of the Temple
I don't know that Jesus
would or could have predicted that.
Instead of predicting he was, more
likely,
quoting something else
from
an earlier part of Isaiah.
from
a section of Isaiah which was part of
the whole Immauel prediction
for King
Ahaz.
In the 8th chapter of
Isaiah…
the prophet continues
what
was begun in chapter 7,
with a sign for Ahaz…
a young
woman conceiving,
and
bearing a son
to be called Immanuel,
or God with us.
In the 8th verse of the 8th
chapter
the prophet uses that name,
Immanuel,
to make light of Israel…
You who
have the audacity
to
call yourselves "God with us"
But then in verses 13-16 of chapter
8
are the words which,
Jesus
may have been quoting in Luke.
Words which, later were embraced by
the early Church.
(There
are some difficulties with this text which I discussed with Dr. Thomas McDaniel
from Eastern Seminary. Tom said a
possible error in the text has lead to this difficult reading in the Hebrew
text. Dr. McDaniel felt that it was the
King of Assyria, and not God who would become the stone of stumbling. See his
web site for his thoughts on this. However, while the changes might make the
text more clear, it is equally clear that Jesus takes the text as it is written
here.)
"But
the LORD of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let
him be your dread. He will become a
sanctuary, a stone one strikes against; for both houses of Israel he will
become a rock one stumbles over--a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of
Jerusalem. And many among them shall
stumble; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.
Bind
up the testimony, seal the teaching among my disciples." (Is. 8: 13-16)
"The Lord of Hosts will become a
sanctuary"
Is that how it is
Now that the Temple is gone?
Is
God our only sanctuary?
Interestingly the word Sanctuary,
is never used in the New Testament.
Is that because
we have no need of sanctuary?
Has
God become our sanctuary?
our sacred place …
our
place apart?
What
of this building where we are meeting?
This specific room in the
building…
Is this a sanctuary?
I call it that
when I speak of it in weddings
or just in giving directions.
But what do I…
what do we mean by sanctuary?
If someone were fleeing from the
police…
Could they find sanctuary here?
Only
if they were a voting member…
a regular attendee and giver of record…
Should the police just be allowed to
run in here…
Shoot
into the windows?
Do you remember the Sanctuary
Movement of the 1980's…
People from Central America…
Sandinistas
…
Communists to many…
Fleeing
from Contra troops, in their homelands…
Illegally, wrongfully armed…
by
Oliver North
we're
told.
Central Americans harbored
given
sanctuary in American Churches…
Illegally.
Should the INS, FBI, CIA…
Be
allowed to knock down
the doors of sanctuaries
and drag
people out… to justice?
What does Sanctuary mean?
What
does it mean to us?
Nothing?
My questions are asked, in part,
because
of watching
the fighting on television in
Fallujah.
Explosions and bullets
hitting
sacred buildings…
with minarets and domes.
Yes, I believe militants have desecrated
sanctuaries
by
storing weapons there,
But is that how Islamic people
are
going to view our actions?
Will Islamic militants
or our military
be viewed as the desecrators.
Will terrorists have more ammunition
in calling us infidels?
desecrators of sanctuaries…
How would American Colonists have felt
If
the British had burned down
Boston's Old North Church
Because it was used by militants?
What of Sanctuaries?
What
purpose do they serve?
Are they sacred
Because God lives here?
or because God helps us to find life
here?
And
what do we mean by sacred?
It use to mean women had to wear
hats here…
Peggy Ruggles is the only one
keeping that tradition alive.
Should men have to wear ties?
Would that make this place more
sacred?
Can children wear flip flops…
or even go barefoot like Abraham?
Do
we need a dress code…
a new holiness code…
in this sacred space…
Which "Shall be a house of prayer for all
people."
I think the problem with sanctuaries,
then
and now…
is that we get overly impressed
with the physical reality
of
our sanctuaries…
the bricks the mortar, the stones.
The sacred space which we have set
apart…
made holy.
I
am glad that you give
and support and maintain this
sanctuary.
But
this sanctuary has to be,
if it is to have any significance at
all,
first and foremost
a
sanctuary to God
for all people.
It is to be a place where even
hatless women,
tieless men,
and shoeless children…
can
come and experience
God's steadfast love for all people
all
creation.
So may it be
in this building…
in our hearts…
Amen.