Living Sanctuaries
Preached by Pastor Matt
Braddock
May 5, 2019
“Have the people of
Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. Exodus 25:8 NLT
One of them, an expert
in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the
most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love
the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This
is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love
your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:35-39 NLT
Prayer, all singing:
Lord prepare me to be a
sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried
and true
With thanksgiving, I’ll
be a living
Sanctuary for you.
Build a sanctuary for me so I
can live among them. This is what God asks of Moses. Build me a home. A sacred
place. Up until this point, the Jewish people prayed to God in fields, by
bodies of water, in deserts next to burning bushes, on mountains, or wherever
they felt moved to pray. Now the prayer experience changes. God says, “Build a
sanctuary for me, so I can live among you.” The people are afriad their
connection to God might fade as they move onward to the promised land. They
want assurance that God will always be with them. For some reason, the people are
not capable of understanding that God is everywhere. So, God instructs them to
build a mikdash— that’s the Hebrew
word for sanctuary. “Build me a mikdash,
“to serve as a tangible of God’s presence. The sanctuary was a symbol of the
covenant relationship between God and the people. The Israelites needed
reassurance that God would be with them always. And God wanted there to be a
reminder that the people had responsibilities The sanctuary reminded the people
to love and serve God, to continually listen to and obey the commandments.
God’s presence is meant to be felt in living a life of compassionate justice.
But the word “sanctuary” took
on an additional meaning in the early centuries of the church. In ancient Rome,
criminals and debtors could flee to Christian churches and receive asylum from
Roman authorities. This practice continued in various ways throughout the
Middle Ages and into the sixteenth century. Sanctuary seekers found refuge in a
church, the sacred space of worship, because such a holy place was unfit for
violent seizure. The spirit of
compassion and care was at the heart of the sanctuary from the beginning.
“Build me a sanctuary, a mikdash”, God says. What would it mean
for us to create a place of refuge? A living sanctuary? This question is
fiercely relevant today as America grapples with this word in a new context:
sanctuary cities and sanctuary congregations in light of the current policies
of family separation, detention and deportation which the current presidential
administration has doubled down on. It’s relevant as ever now that we learned
another child has died in detention under the so-called “care” of the federal
government. Consider this roster of policies, which—taken together—aim to
remove non-white people from America or prevent them from entering:
·
The Muslim ban, about which Justice Sonia
Sotomayor wrote, “Taking all the evidence together, a reasonable observer would
conclude that the proclamation was driven primarily by anti-Muslim animus.”
·
Rescinding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for
more than 300,000 people who fled violence
and disaster in Haiti, Sudan, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. In his ruling
blocking the administration’s decision, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen said
there were “serious questions as to whether a discriminatory purpose was a
motivating factor” and as to whether it was based on “animus against nonwhite,
non-European immigrants.”
·
Seeking to add a citizenship question to the
2020 census, which has been revealed as a blatant attempt to reduce the
political power communities.
·
Reducing
the number of visas available for immigration, with a particular focus on
reducing family-reunification immigration.
·
Interfering with asylum procedures on the
southern border by processing only a handful of asylum claims each day legal
points of entry, making asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their at cases are
being considered, and attempting to deny people crossing the border between
ports of entry the right to seek asylum.
·
Threatening to end birthright citizenship via
Executive Order.
The Sanctuary Movement began
in response to a surge of refugees from Latin America seeking asylum in the
U.S. in the 1980s. Facing an unwelcoming federal government, faith leaders and
groups began to organize and act on their own. In 1982, Southside Presbyterian
Church in Tucson, AZ became the first of more than 500 congregations to
declared itself a public sanctuary. By
April 1987, this number would include at least 60 synagogues. The movement
eventually succeeded in changing U.S. asylum law, so it did not discriminate
against Latin Americans. With President Trump’s moves to cancel protections and
step up deportations, the New Sanctuary Movement is once again stepping up to
the plate to protect immigrants and their families, counter xenophobic and
false messaging, and advance the cause of a multicultural America. As of
January 2019, more than 1,100 faith communities have declared themselves part
of the New Sanctuary Movement. In fact, Christ Congregational Church is part of
the sanctuary movement through the Congregational Action Network. Just this
past week, several us from CCC had a phone conversation with members of Cedar
Lane UUA, a congregation which is actively hosting Rosa, a woman living on the
church’s property in intentional sanctuary.
By the way, guess what the
Jewish sanctuary movement is called. Mikdash. Mikdash … Sanctuary … reminds us
of the holy work we do when we act as allies to immigrants, standing against
xenophobia and hate, and for the preservation of families and communities.
“Build me a sanctuary, a mikdash”, God says. How can we continue
to be sanctuary … the sacred place … the place that reminds us of God’s sacred
presence among us … a place of refuge … a place of safety … a place to
encounter holiness and care?
Some of us have been talking
about whether CCC can become a place of physical sanctuary to a person. We have
a long way to go before we get to that point, but I am open to the
conversation. In the meantime, I have to suggestions.
First, we can get involved in
helping Rosa and the members of Cedar Lane UUA with physical needs. The
congregation offers ongoing training and orientation for those who want to
help. Much like we do with Shepherd’s Table, I would like to see a group of
CCCers who regular help with meals, physical needs, security, or whatever else
is needed to help sustain and protect Rosa.
The second thing we can do is
help with accompaniment. Citizen allies, particularly faith leaders or other
community leaders, can escort immigrants to their ICE check-ins. In addition to
bolstering the immigrant’s confidence and self-worth, their presence can
sometimes change ICE’s decision to arrest. If an arrest is made, the
accompanying ally can at least provide information to the arrested person’s
family and friends. We found this to be a very effective strategy when
advocating for Coach Fofo.
Accompaniment is a way of
showing love and honor. It is one of the ways we can help fulfill the greatest
commandments: You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your
soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second
is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.
These are ways we become
living sanctuaries. We recognize that God does not live inside walls of ornate,
expensive buildings. God dwells among us. When we accompany someone to an ICE
check in, it’s as if we remind them, and us, that God is a living sanctuary,
alive in the divine image present in all. When we open our doors to the
immigrant, the refuge, the so-called “stranger” we remind them, and us, that
lavish hospitality is an act of holy courage. When someone sets out on the way
and others accompany them, they give honor to the Divine Image by not letting
them go alone.
Prayer, all singing:
Lord prepare me to be a
sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried
and true
With thanksgiving, I’ll
be a living
Sanctuary for you.
“Lord, prepare
us to be a sanctuary— pure in our devotion to Your love and holy in our
commitment to obey Your call; tried in the challenges of this world and found
to be true to Your character. With thanksgiving, we’ll be a living sanctuary
for You and Your people.”
https://www.truah. org/resources/mikdash-a-jewish-guide-to-the-new-sanctuary-movement/
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