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KJV Psalm 23:1 <A Psalm of
David.> The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He
maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and
thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth
over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my
life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
The 23rd Psalm is probably
one of the most famous of the biblical scriptures, second only maybe to John
3:16. And yet our memory of the 23rd Psalm is related to funerals
where we most often hear these beautiful words. And yet these words, we believe
to be written by David, tell a story of thanksgiving that transcends time and
culture. The Lord is my shepherd is telling us that the shepherd boy who
becomes king holds his allegiance to God. And yet he tells us that he does not
want the gift of God who leads him to a beautiful place with green pastures and
still waters. Isn’t that just like our lives? We acknowledge a loving God and
yet we rebel against the will of God in favor of our own. But David reminds us
that God restores our souls, gives us salvation and leads us on the path of righteousness.
In our story
Ordinary has been traveling towards his big dream. His path has taken him
through the wilderness where he has sometimes lost the path and struggled with
his choice. And then at the moment when he reaches his lowest point, where he
feels that he can no longer go on, sanctuary appears and he rests. And so
Ordinary journeys through the wilderness and now finds himself in a place
called sanctuary. But the journey was full of trials and testing. He lost his
way on the journey. The path became obscured along his way by the wind blowing
the dust. And now here he is safe for the moment. And yet it is here that he is
asked the one thing he could not imagine being asked, to give up his big dream.
This story reminds us of many of the Old Testament stories of Abraham and the
exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt and then the exile of the nation
during the time of Nebuchadnezzar. And in each of these events there lies
within them a point where God asks them to give up their individual dreams for
God’s dream. The battle of wills, God’s or mine. Have you been in wilderness on
your journey in life? Has the path been obscured or hidden from you at times?
Have there been trials that have left you feeling that you had nothing else to
give?
So this leads
us to ask, what is sanctuary? If we look at a medieval idea of sanctuary, it is
a place where those who were in fear for their lives could find safety. Sanctuary
to the earliest traveler was a place where they found rest from the world and
its troubles. It was a place where enemies could find peace for a time around
an oasis of water. It was a place where you could find rest until it was time
to move onward. If you were in trouble with the law or the government, often
they would seek shelter in the church where they were protected from
persecution. In fact the Queen of England found sanctuary in the Westminster Cathedral
during a time when her husband had been disposed and he was in hiding. That the
political opponents would have allowed her safety with the King’s children
speaks to how important this concept truly was. By the way, we think that these
rules still apply in our world today, but they do not. If you look at a
dictionary definition of sanctuary you will find that it means a place of
worship, the holiest of holies, and the place where God is. We are right now in
the place by definition called a sanctuary. It is here that God’s presence
rests with us. But what does this place mean to us and exactly what does the
concept of sanctuary mean in our modern world today?
From the
earliest history of humankind is the relationship between God and Adam in the Garden
of Eden. God was present in the world. Genesis 3: 8 They heard the
sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze,
and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among
the trees of the garden. God
walked in the garden. This scripture indicates a real presence in the world of
humankind by God. And yet after the fall, we see that God’s presence is very
limited in the world. At the time of Abraham, God presence is distance. At the
time of the Exodus, Moses must go up to the mountain to meet with God. And then
God’s presence is again in the world from that day forward in the holiest of
holies with the tabernacle. But even that presence is limited to one man on one
day of the year who enters the holiest of holies to speak with God. And then
Jesus comes into the world. Jesus birth into the world brings a new revelation
of the nature of God.
Jesus’ death
and resurrection changes the presence of God from being in the world to being
in the body of Christ. Now you may hear language that is somewhat confusing
when I talk about the body of Christ. We, the believers of Jesus as the Christ,
and believe in the triune God, Father, son and Holy Spirit are the body of
Christ in the world. And that simple statement creates the ultimate paradigm
for many. To understand the concept of sanctuary now is to understand the
relationship of God in the world. Before Jesus, God directed the people through
God’s interface with specific individuals. But even before that, God had
directed the people of the world regarding how they were to be sanctuaries to
the world. In the covenant with Abraham the Hebrew people are told to spread
the news of God.
So what does
this all mean? Sanctuary is the place where peace is. Two artists were asked to
paint a picture to illustrate peace. One painted a beautiful evening scene. In
the foreground was a lake, its surface absolutely calm. Trees surrounded it and
meadows stretched away to the distant horizon. A little cottage and the setting
sun all suggested peace. The second artist drew a wild stormy scene. Heavy black
clouds hovered overhead. In the center of the picture a huge waterfall poured
volumes of water. One could imagine its roar, yet almost the first thing to
catch the eye was a small bird nesting in the cleft of a great rock, absolutely
sheltered from the outside elements and pouring forth a song of joy. That, too,
pictured perfect peace. Perfect peace is what God would have us know. Not only
for ourselves but for others! You have heard me say over and over again that
life is hard. The world does not want success from individuals because your
success often means someone else did not. There is very little win-win in the
world. And yet we come to this place today in need of sanctuary and peace. We
come to this place today in need of rest. And most important, we come to this
place today in need of a sense of who we are and whose we are. Jesus walked the
earth two thousand years ago letting us know that the devil has no power with
us unless we give him power. Satan has been conquered. Now he knows it and
logically we know it. And yet we keep on giving Satan power over us by our own
doubts and fears and sinful nature. Think about it. Jesus told us that even a
sparrow falling to the ground is noticed by God. And the Lord will make greater
provision for you and me than for the sparrow.
God will give
us peace if we only ask God. And I suggest that everyone here who has been
baptized and professed their faith in God has asked God for peace. And yet our
faith is such that we don’t believe. And if we cannot believe it, then how can
we ever get anyone else to believe? Isaiah tells us that we will have perfect
peace when we trust in the Lord. In God’s house the sparrows found safety,
rest, delight, provision, nearness, not because they were worthy, but because
they were welcome. When we are baptized our sinful nature is washed away as we
are brought into relationship with the kingdom of God here on earth. We become
part of the body of Christ.
And then when
we stand before the world and profess our faith in God through Jesus, we
achieve salvation. What don’t you get? Once your salvation is assured, then
what in the world does Satan have on you? If you pay off your mortgage and the
bank says you still owe the full amount, you would scream your way to an
attorney who would represent you and win. When Satan comes knocking, you pray
your way to Jesus and he will knock Satan back to the fiery dungeon. Now that
is the good news. We are free to face the world knowing that no matter what it
throws at us, we have eternity. And because of that, life should not be able to
knock us down as much as it does. Do you believe? Tell me that you believe?
And once you
believe, start living a life where things don’t knock you back. See, from my
perspective, every one of you that has been baptized and professed your love
for Christ has nothing to fear from life. Oh sure it is going to be hard, but
hey, we will persevere and in the end we will be in paradise. And because of
your faith, your life will change. Things won’t affect you as much. Life won’t
beat you down as badly as before. And other people will notice. And that’s the
point. When they do, they are going to want to be a part of what you have. If
you go to Vegas and start wining, guess what happens. Everyone flocks around
you, right.
So if you can
go to a place of sin and be surrounded by sinners just by winning, think what
living righteous will do?
And when that
transformation happens, you become a sanctuary for others. Think about it. When
they are being beaten by the world and overcome by Satan, you can provide them
rest and refuge by telling them your story. Bringing them the good news of Christ
brings them the joy and peace that you know. And since it did not matter where
you were in the world and what baggage you brought to the altar, it will not
matter what they bring. Let us become a sanctuary for the world by beginning to
believe that we matter to God. Let us become sanctuaries for the world by
letting the Holy Spirit transform us. Let us become like Jesus in the world.
Lord, prepare
me, to be a sanctuary
Pure and
Holy, Tried and True
With
thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary,
for you!
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