Safe Harbor

Sanctuary

“Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary
pure and holy, tried and true.
With thanksgiving, I'll be a living
sanctuary for you.”
John Thompson & Randy Scruggs, “Sanctuary,” 1982

We sang this hymn in worship yesterday. According to some of the younger folks, it was a favorite camp song when they were kids. It got me thinking about the whole concept of sanctuary, and what it would mean to be one. First of all, let me say once again that I am in no way fit to be a sanctuary—I am not pure and holy or tried and true. I have every human flaw there is to have. But don't we all?

Sanctuary means “refuge or safe place.” We hear today about sanctuary cities; ones that will not assist in the rounding up and deportation of people in the country without documentation. These cities can not truly protect undocumented people, but they can refuse to help with ousting them. At other times, and in a few cases now, churches and other houses of worship did protect people, shelter them, and could not be invaded. Sometimes, my church shelters people who have been forced from their homes by fire or storm. We provide a safe place for them, and whatever provisions we can muster until they can go on their way. And, of course, the area of a church that holds the altar and the cross, where worship, and the rites and sacraments take place is called the sanctuary. It is considered holy in Christendom.

But what does it mean for a person to be a sanctuary? It means, I think, to be trustworthy. To be kind and accepting of people as they are, wherever they are on their life's journey. We live in a time of judgment, when we are intolerant of people who look and live differently from us. We not only judge them as unworthy, but we condemn them. A person who refuses to engage in this stands out in a crowd. They become a safe harbor in tumultuous seas. Others can go to them and know they will not be cast out, regardless of their human foibles and transgressions. Jesus was a sanctuary when he said, “Whoever is without sin, let him cast the first stone.” Most of us can not aspire to be like Jesus, but I like to think we can become safe for others. At least, we can work on it as part of our spiritual path. Today, we might practice being sanctuary for someone else and see how it feels.

In the Spirit,
Jane