PODCAST
Holy Awe
October 11th, 2022
Exodus 40:9-16
It really bothers me when I see kids running in the sanctuary. It also bothers me when I see people sitting on altars and drinking coffee in their favorite pew. I realize that there are some who would disagree. This topic certainly has enjoyed its fair share of discussion, especially if you happen to worship in a multipurpose space.
However, I firmly believe the sanctuary of any church is a holy place. It doesn’t matter if it’s a quaint nook or an expansive, ornate space, if the area has been created for God’s people to gather in worship, then it should be regarded as holy ground. If you take a peek in the Old Testament you’ll find several places where God takes a similar position. Granted, sanctuaries have changed a bit since the time of Moses, but the premise is still the same.
Whether we find our sanctuary in the front seat of a car or in a larger than life cathedral, there should be a purposeful sense of reverence seasoned with wonder and anticipation, a holy awe. We can be sure that God will meet us there because God truly does inhabit the praise of His people.
Author: Andrea Talley
October 11th, 2022 at 1:12 pm
I have never wrote anything like this before. The church is a building. It is holy only in the sense that it is set aside for holy use. God is omnipresent, but God does not live there. Church should be an enjoyable place to where we all come to have fellowship with God’s people and to worship Him. You want kids to not like going to church? Dogma will do in a child’s mind and not just to kids. Kids grow up. What is important is not that we be God’s police force enforcing dogma, but doing God’s good and perfect will. I grew up Roman Catholic. I went to church then only because I felt like that was where God wanted me.\I didn’t go because I looked forward to it. It was like standing at attention when I was in the Army. Shouldn’t all of us enjoy church? How can we convince people to go to church if we make it unenjoyable? The church building isn’t the church. The people are the church.
October 11th, 2022 at 1:53 pm
Amen. I agree the church is a place of reverence but I also agree with the statement above. The body of Christ (its members) is the church. As it is written in Acts 7:48 “…the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says ‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, Or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?’Isaiah 66:1-2 Plus, Jesus himself told the Samaritan woman we will worship Him in spirit and truth. John 4:24
October 11th, 2022 at 2:12 pm
I believe the author was not saying “the church” is a building. Only that when the worship of God takes place—in a building or in front of a burning bush—there should be a sense of reverence and awe.