Creating sanctuary in a busy world
An introduction to the theme
Why are we busy?
Because we have made choices in the past leading to busyness in the present.
Although we talk critically about being too busy … we actually think it is good to be busy. What would it feel like to say, “I am not busy”? It feels slightly wrong!
Why are we busy? Because we are constantly influenced by the materialistic world view which is the main way of seeing things in the UK, influenced to buy stuff, do stuff, spend time on pleasure and entertainment – and work.
We end up getting our identity from what the world tells us will provide satisfaction and happiness (remember how it started in Genesis 3 - the temptation to eat the apple in the garden of Eden): the clothes we wear, the team we support, the car we drive, the education we achieve, the coffee we drink, the tipple we prefer, the holiday we take, the post code in which we live …
So we get busy trying to do all this stuff and find that in order to maintain it, in order to “succeed”, we have to get a better job, work harder, longer, in fact if we are raising a family we both need to get jobs and then we need to organise child care and it gets yet busier.
But it is all as a result of our choices; we make the decision to obey the siren call of the celebrity culture, to be influenced by the crowing colleague or comparing neighbour.
We even get sold packaged sanctuary in the form of holidays in Majorca – which become part of the busyness and the cause of more busyness as we try and work out how to pay for them.
Sometimes you hear people talking about “dropping out” all together – because they have given up on changing our society and way of living.
Scarily we end up in the same place in “church”. This can be a very busy demanding exercise too – just doing weekly worship - we must get the best sound, rehearse the best music, lay on the best kids’ work, prepare the most researched and thought through teaching. We can end up just delivering another consumer packaged good.
If you have decided to follow Jesus there are times when your perspective escapes all this – when you do get your identity and purpose from the creator of the world and the lover of your soul.
But then sometimes we begin to do our own thing, get distracted by careers, money, materialism, holidays, and possessions. We begin to fight our corner, protect our rights, forget to hear and obey the quiet voice of God and find ourselves drifting away from the sanctuary place and listening instead to different voices.
Materialism could be defined by saying, “Physical well-being & worldly possessions constitute the highest value & greatest good in life.”
This is the exact opposite of following Jesus. Paul says in 1 Cor 7:31 that, this world in its present form is passing away.
Garden of Eden
The fist time we read about the need to listen out for the quiet voice of God is in the sanctuary that was the garden of Eden.
Genesis 3:8-10
Note how God comes looking for us, seeking relationship, in the first sanctuary (garden of Eden)
That’s the back drop to this series. Indeed it is the recurring theme of our faith, of following Jesus. God comes looking for us to have relationship with us in the sanctuary, the special, wonderful place where he dwells.
Tabernacle
Exodus 25:1-8 – God speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai before He gives the 10 commandments.
Message, “Let them construct a sanctuary for me so that I can live among them.”
Exodus goes on to describe in some detail how they are to construct this sanctuary. When it is finally completed there is a spectacular occasion when God chooses to dwell there in order to be “among them”. Once again, God seeking to be with his people (just like the garden of Eden story).
So there we have it – a sacred, special place, set apart and yet central. The purpose of which is to bring God into the heart of our community and our lives.
Much of the rest of the story of the bible until the time of Jesus some 1500 years later is a repeating cycle of the people of God:
1. constructing a special place where God dwells so that their relationship with him can be close and their daily lives sense his presence every moment, then
2. not listening to God, listening to other voices instead, and walking further and further away from him until they have abandoned the sanctuary entirely and are without God in any way except by memory and story and the occasional prophetic figure shouting in the wilderness, then
3. repenting, turning back to God, rebuilding the sanctuary, then
4. once again enjoying the presence of God as they live in and around the sanctuary and as he comes amongst them.
In our busyness and stress we go through the same cycle.
1. We have special times when we know peace and his presence in our lives somehow giving us balance and meaning, then
2. we begin to do our own thing, forget to hear and obey the quiet voice of God and listen instead to other voices and find ourselves drifting away from the sanctuary place, then
3. eventually we come to our senses and say sorry, repent, turn around and walk back toward him. We start rebuilding the sanctuary, then
4. once again enjoy his vibrant presence in our lives, walk in close relationship with him.
Finding sanctuary in our busyness is exactly the same as finding new life in our deadened lives.
In Finding Sanctuary, Abbot Christopher Jamison proposes that the way to sanctuary is through virtue – you build a sanctuary in your life just like you construct a building.
It is a structural equivalent of salvation:
- From sin to repentance to salvation to the presence of God in our lives
- From busyness to virtue to sanctuary to the presence of God in our lives
How do we get back to sanctuary?
Sanctuary is something we work at and build – it is not discovered or found – it is something created. Over the next few weeks we are going to look at the different parts of the building which we are constructing as a sanctuary for God.
Somewhere he can dwell so that we know his presence and his peace centrally in our lives day by day.
We seek out space that is set apart, but a space that is within us, a space of refuge – not a pause for breath or a minute’s silence – a firm, long-standing, robust place.
What will prevent us from building a sanctuary?
- We can’t create sanctuary when we refuse to be humble and acknowledge that he is God and we are not
- We can’t create sanctuary unless we sacrifice time and energy and money to his call to build the sanctuary
- We can’t create sanctuary and try to live a materialistic life, they are incompatible
- We can’t create sanctuary if we ignore his voice and are disobedient
- We can’t create sanctuary if we avoid open, healthy relationships and community
- We can’t create sanctuary if we live in fear of the future and without hope
Just like sin it involves acknowledging who God is and who we are, it involves repentance, then turning and beginning to create a sacred space, a place of sanctuary in a busy world.
Some are lonely and alone
Some are aware of their wrongdoing
Some are aware that they are far from a Holy God
The truth is that God calls for us to create a sanctuary, somewhere he can live with us.
He calls to us, he seeks relationship with us, to save us from the busyness, the hopelessness, the noise and pain.
Just like in the garden of Eden, God comes looking for you. What are you going to say to him?
David Flowers
9 September 2007
David Flowers, 30/09/2007