SANCTUARY

Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

                What does the word “sanctuary” mean to you? Is that word tied to a place, an emotion, an experience? We often call the room in a church building where worship services are held a sanctuary. Some people speak of finding sanctuary from the pressures and stress of life.

                The word sanctuary is defined as a consecrated place of worship; a place of refuge and protection. When I was a boy the “sanctuary” in our church was viewed as sacred space; meaning it was not to be used for anything but spiritual activities. In my travels I have experienced some amazing sanctuaries. I have walked down the aisle of an enormous, echoing cathedral; embellished with awe inspiring art and vivid stained glass windows. Yet the environment seemed cold and lifeless. I have worshipped in a tiny room crammed with common people trying to stay warm while they sang praise to God in a language I could not understand. Yet I felt a spiritual bond with those people. The presence of God was overwhelmingly evident. I have come to regard sanctuary as more of a spiritual environment rather than a specific, tangible place.

                Where do you find your sanctuary? Many people find their sanctuary in a well organized worship service, surrounded by other sincere believers. Many find their sanctuary in a small group experience, where they can share their life with others on a more intimate basis. Many people find sanctuary out in nature; walking down a wooded path or gazing out over a vast sea. I have experienced sanctuary in all of these places. But lately I have discovered that, in a strange way, running is my sanctuary.

                For me, running has become a way to disengage from the routine of life. When you are gasping for air it is hard to focus on that spreadsheet that you need to create. The truth is that when I am running I have the chance to really commune with God. There are no phones to answer or papers to write or e-mails to sort through. When I am running it is just me and God. At the beginning of a run my thoughts are very pragmatic. I am thinking about setting my pace, monitoring my breathing and generally struggling to stretch out stiff muscles. Within a short time I settle into an easy pace and I am now free. Issues, that I have been struggling with, come flooding into my mind. For a while, I will chew on these thoughts. Then I will start to pray. These prayers are not formal or even organized. They are a free-flowing conversation with God. I feel free to praise God for my surroundings. I feel free to challenge God with things that bother me. I feel free to implore God to act. Just as running limbers my muscles and purifies my physical body, so it limbers my spiritual muscles and purifies my mind.

                Often when I am running I become “very” creative. Some thought will strike me and I will begin to outline how I would write that into an article. At these times my pace often quickens, as I hurry toward home to capture these creative thoughts before they sink back into the murkiness of my mind. I have often refined a sermon on a run. I will mentally rehearse what I have prepared; feeling it out before God. Many articles I have written were born on a run.

                Above all else I find sanctuary as I consciously run in God’s presence. I express my wonder to God as I marvel over the very ability to run. I take in the changing environment around me and give praise to God for His creativity. I feel the tension and stress of my life begin to drain away and I thank God for His mercy. When I have not been able to run for a time I feel the loss of connection with God. I find myself longing for sanctuary.

                King David understood the need for sanctuary. In Psalm 27 he expressed his longing to be in God’s presence. One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. [Psalm 27:4 (NIV)] Throughout the Psalms he expresses his desire to find rest in God.

                Jesus understood the need for sanctuary. He didn’t find it in the Temple or in the Synagogue. He found it on the hillside, alone with the Father.  Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35 (NIV)

                Where do you find sanctuary? We can find our sanctuary in many places. We don’t have to be limited to a specific room in a church building. Sanctuary is finding our sacred place where we can rest in the powerful, loving presence of God.