heaven

Sanctuary

Posted on by Betsy

Where do you go when you don’t feel safe? For some, that place is home. I chatted with a friend the other day and she talked about people coming to her door unannounced. This is something that truly bothers her: Her home is her safe place, a fortress of comfort and security, and intrusions like someone knocking on the door are problematic for her. I feel exactly the same way.

For others, the sanctity of family, a deep friendship, or a happy marriage provide refuge in times of trouble. When you find yourself picking up your phone in stressful times to call or text, that person on the other end of the phone truly can be a bright light of salvation for you.

Every church has a special place called the “sanctuary” where worship is held, and God is encountered. Many of us know to flee to church when we feel we are under assault. From the root word sanctify, or holy place, sanctuaries over time became places of refuge and protection for persecuted people. Pardon my word nerdiness, but take a look at this excerpt from Etymology Online:

Since the time of Constantine and by medieval Church law, fugitives or debtors enjoyed immunity from arrest and ordinary operations of the law in certain churches, hence its use by mid-14. of churches or other holy places with a view to their inviolability. The transferred sense of “immunity from punishment by virtue of having taken refuge in a church or similar building” is by early 15c., also of the right to such. (Exceptions were made in England in cases of treason and sacrilege.)

The general (non-ecclesiastical) sense of “place of refuge or protection” is attested from 1560s; as “land set aside for wild plants or animals to breed and live” it is recorded by 1879 in reference to the American bison.

Even the bison have a place of sanctuary! So, too, have we.

Psalm 27 (Common English Bible)
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
        Should I fear anyone?
    The Lord is a fortress protecting my life.
        Should I be frightened of anything?
2 When evildoers come at me trying to eat me up—
    it’s they, my foes and my enemies,
    who stumble and fall!

All of us have some type of foe or enemy. David had entire nations of enemies rising up against Israel in war. Ours our probably more local: the neighbor who disrespects boundaries, the Facebook poster who disrespects your opinion, the ex-spouse who disrespects you in front of the kids, etc. But David reminds us to not be afraid because we can trust in the Lord and look forward to that time when we abide with him in his house where we will all get along. Heaven is our ultimate sanctuary. And do you know what won’t be part of heaven? Facebook.

3 If an army camps against me,
        my heart won’t be afraid.
    If war comes up against me,
        I will continue to trust in this:
4     I have asked one thing from the Lord—
    it’s all I seek:
        to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life,
        seeing the Lord’s beauty
        and constantly adoring his temple.
5 Because he will shelter me in his own dwelling
    during troubling times;
    he will hide me in a secret place in his own tent;
        he will set me up high, safe on a rock.

Are you fleeing from trouble? Do you feel unsafe? Is there a danger knocking on your door making you feel uneasy? You know where to go.

11 Lord, teach me your way;
    because of my opponents, lead me on a good path.
12 Don’t give me over to the desires of my enemies,
    because false witnesses and violent accusers
    have taken their stand against me.
13 But I have sure faith
    that I will experience the Lord’s goodness
    in the land of the living!

Lord, teach us your ways and lead us to a safe haven. Bring us to that place of your goodness in the land of the living! We shall not fear if you abide with us.

14 Hope in the Lord!
    Be strong! Let your heart take courage!
        Hope in the Lord!

Be strong.

Safe Place by Becca Ziegler

Casting Crowns

Posted on by Betsy

One of my all-time favorite moments during a Children’s Sermon in worship came when I asked the children what they thought heaven was like. A little three-year-old boy sat thoughtfully by my side as the other children yelled out answers that included clouds, gold roads, blue skies, and the like. Finally he raised his chubby little hand and waited for me to call on him. “Well, Alex, what do you think heaven is like?” I asked. “Miss Betsy, I think heaven is a place where you don’t have to worry about going tee-tee in your pants.”

Oh, my goodness.

Yes, indeed, little person! Heaven is exactly like that. A place of no worries, no tears, no troubles … and certainly no potty-training.

Our Scripture today gives us a startling and heavy-laden vision of heaven from John, as he wrote from exile on the Island of Patmos. Like Jesus’ parables, John’s visions were highly symbolic, reminding us that we will never completely understand what heaven is like until we get there. But one thing is sure: The reality of heaven will far surpass everyone’s idea or vision of it. We can’t possibly imagine what that Glory will be like.

Revelation 4 (Common English Bible)

6 Something like a glass sea, like crystal, was in front of the throne.

In the center, by the throne, were four living creatures encircling the throne. These creatures were covered with eyes on the front and on the back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion. The second living creature was like an ox. The third living creature had a face like a human being. And the fourth living creature was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings, and each was covered all around and on the inside with eyes. They never rest day or night, but keep on saying,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is coming.”

John’s four creatures are reminiscent of Ezekiel’s visions of cherubim. (See Ezekiel 1:4-14.) They lived to worship a holy and mighty Lord, and their worship continued day and night. The symbols of lion, ox, human, and eagle might mean anything from representing an arrangement of four gathered tribes of Israel around the throne, to the four Gospels, to Jesus himself, but we should focus on the non-stop worship they offered. This is a reminder to us that worship should be practiced every day, not just on Sunday. What practice of worship do you incorporate into your daily routine?

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one seated on the throne, who lives forever and always, 10 the twenty-four elders fall before the one seated on the throne. They worship the one who lives forever and always. They throw down their crowns before the throne and say,

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
        to receive glory and honor and power,
            because you created all things.
                It is by your will that they existed and were created.”

And just as we can’t fathom the meaning of the four creatures, we couldn’t possibly ascertain what these twenty-four elders are meant to represent. So, let’s focus on their casting their crowns before the throne. Surely this humble act of obeisance was their way of rendering honor to the true King on the throne, who was worthy to receive all honor, glory, and power as the One who created all things. This is a challenge to us to be sure we too are willing to cast our crowns before God, relying on him for everything and removing any obstacle that might prevent us from true worship.

Are there things that get in your way from honoring God night and day? Do you try to act out of your own power rather than defer to God’s will? Are you holding on to your crown too tightly?

May God give us a taste of heaven on earth and help us learn how to worship in ways that please him.

Glory by Michelle Robertson