Sanctuary and the Sacred
A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr.
Randy K. Hammer, April 18, 2021
Exodus 3:1-6; Luke 4:42; 5:15-16
All of us
need places to be alone, to meditate, to sort things out, to pray, to find soul
nourishment and renewal. We have read
from Luke’s gospel that even Jesus often sought out solitary, lonely places in
the desert or wilderness where he could be alone and be renewed.
A few
years ago, someone gave me a copy of a book written by J. Greg Johnson. Johnson is a freelance opinion columnist for
the Knoxville News Sentinel. The title
of the book is Sanctuary. The
subtitle is Meditations from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The book is a combination of journal-like
entries and brief meditations complimented by photographs taken in the Smokies
– Alum Cave Trail, Andrews Bald, Clingman’s Dome, Walker Sisters Cabin, and so
on.
Well, in
thinking about a sermon topic for this Earth Day Week, I was inspired to pull
Johnson’s book from the shelf and review the passages I had underlined
as being most significant. And as I
reviewed the book, I realized there are two concepts at its core.
The first
concept is sanctuary itself. It
is obvious that Johnson finds within the Great Smoky Mountains – as do many of
us – a place of sanctuary from the world.
Johnson writes of his experience in the Smokies, “Perhaps sanctuary is
found not behind fortified walls and locked doors, like in the monastic days of
old, but rather it is found in that place where we can open ourselves up,
unlock those things we’ve kept closed up inside of us and tear down the walls
that separate us from God and others” (pp. 150-151). People have long sought out natural places
of sanctuary,
In one of
the most important passages in the Bible, we see Moses seeking sanctuary out in
the wilderness, on the “far side of the wilderness,” as the scripture puts
it. One of the definitions of the word
“sanctuary” is “a place of refuge, asylum. . .”
Moses, prior to this particular scene, had been running in fear for his
life. Back in Egypt, Moses had
intervened when he saw an Egyptian kill one of his fellow Hebrews. So, Moses struck the Egyptian, killing him,
and buried his body in the sand. When
Moses realized that word had gotten out about what he had done and that the
King of Egypt determined to kill him, he ran.
Perhaps he thought that on the far side of the wilderness he would be
safe.
But I am
guessing that Moses was also doing some soul searching as he leaned on that
shepherd’s staff out in the wilderness.
What was he going to do next?
What should he do with his life, other than spend it alone on the far
side of the dessert watching sheep? What
role might God play in it all? Moses,
you see, was a man of great learning and potential. He, as the story goes, had been raised and
educated in Pharoah’s palace. And the
text points out that Moses journeyed from the far side of the wilderness to
“Horeb, the mountain of God.” Moses was
seeking sanctuary. But perhaps he was
also on a soul search for the Sacred. “A
sacred place” is another definition of the word sanctuary. Moses found within
his wilderness sanctuary a profound manifestation of the Sacred, as he heard
the voice of God speaking to him from the midst of a burning bush.
The
Sacred is the second concept we see in J. Greg Johnson’s book as well. Johnson continues, “Sanctuary is a place of
grace, where unmerited and unconditional love flows freely, where acceptance is
unquestioned and affirmation comes quickly and often” (p. 151). “The voice of God,” Johnson writes, “comes
quietly in these mountains to those who have ears to hear” (p. 138). It is obvious throughout his book that
Johnson finds everywhere he turns his eye or tunes his ear within the sanctuary
of the Great Smoky Mountains a sense of the Sacred.
But one
need not travel to the far side of the wilderness, or the Great Smoky Mountains
to find sanctuary. I certainly find
sanctuary and a sense of the Sacred in the Great Smoky Mountains and have done
so in the wilderness of Death Valley National Park and other places as well.
But I have also found sanctuary and the Sacred in the greenway hiking trails of
Oak Ridge, and even in my own backyard.
Would you like to guess how many different bird species I have
photographed in the little patch of woods behind our house? Go ahead, guess. Thirty-five.
Now, if
the natural world is a place of sanctuary, as I contend that it is, and if
within the sanctuary of the natural world we see evidence of and experience the
Sacred, as I contend that we can, then it follows that an appropriate
response on our part is to respect and protect.
Hence, we
arrive at the significance for Earth Day Week.
Our respect for the Earth as a place of sanctuary and abode of the
Sacred should be increasing as each year passes. And likewise, our efforts to protect the
Earth should be increasing as each year passes.
There is
a protected natural area here in Oak Ridge that came very close to being
adversely affected recently, with some areas potentially being destroyed, as a
developer had plans to build a racetrack complex at the Horizon Center, near
and infringing upon the Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement, a wildlife
reserve with trails for hiking and biking. But thanks to the concerted efforts
of conservation-minded residents – some of the most determined in the United
Church – that natural area was spared.
We owe those who worked long and hard on this issue a boatload of
thanks. And all of us who contributed
financially to the cause and/or wrote letters to the editor of the newspaper,
DOE and our City Council voicing opposition to the proposed racetrack can be
proud of our efforts in saving a protected natural area and actively respecting
and protecting one little piece of the Earth. But the efforts to protect the
green spaces of Oak Ridge are ongoing, as there are a number of groups working
to preserve our natural treasures.
Becoming involved in and/or supporting one or more of these groups is
one practical thing we can do.
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