Sanctuary! Sanctuary!

Psalm 63:2 “I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory.”

Whenever I come across the word sanctuary, I think of the Disney cartoon-movie “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”, where a woman is running to the church screaming ‘Sanctuary! Sanctuary!’ in hopes of being protected and sheltered from her accusers. That is exactly what the church is supposed to be; a place of refuge, a shelter for the needy, a beacon of hope, a sanctuary. The place where you can see God and gaze upon His power and glory!

In modern day churches we have learned to accept the tax collector and the CEO’s of Bubba Gump’s (fisherman). We say yes bring them to the church, get them connected, and allow them to turn their lives back to God. Having the affects that Nicodemus had where he wanted to return all the money he had cheated people. Sounds like a big Tithe! Don’t get me wrong, that is great and has the power of God in changing a life around.

But what about the people who can’t do anything for you? The gypsy, who has no place to live and rejected by society.  The hunchback people frown upon because he looks different. The poor man that smells as a result of days without showering.  The alcoholic lady who drinks her problems away and fears people are going to judge her if she steps foot in church.  The man who lost everything because of medical bills for his sick wife. Can they run into a church screaming, “Sanctuary! Sanctuary!” and actually see the Lord and gaze upon His Power and Glory?

Have we allowed church to become so high tech that people are afraid of touching anything in fear that something expensive would break? Or that those in real need of sanctuary won’t dare to enter, in fear that they would be the first to be accused if something was missing simply because of their appearance? Do the preparations of media systems, stage lights, displays, and handouts consume our minds more than the faces of the hurting that are present in the service? Creating an inviting atmosphere in the church is significant, but not at the cost of keeping people away.

The “Sanctuary” is the Lords! It is His sanctuary and He says go! Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame (Luke 14:21). Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full (Luke 14:23).

These are the people whom his house are supposed to be full of.  Sure we can go out and put door hangers on every suburban house because the Lord cares for them too.  We can target a specific group and build a mega church on that type of people, but what about the call to go into the alleys and behind the hedges?

We may have a lot of “feeling” experiences in His sanctuary, but can a person walk in and actually say, “I have seen the Lord in His Sanctuary and have gazed upon his power and glory.”

Church has to be more than a Christianized pep rally and return to being the Sanctuary; a place of refuge. A place where the poor, the crippled, and the outcasts can come and say, “Sanctuary! Sanctuary!”