mySundaySermons

Read: 1 Kings 6.17 (NRSV)

The entrance area to the sanctuary has different names based on the size and use of the space. If your church has just a small space for getting out of the elements, fixing your hair, and straightening your skirt before entering, that is called a vestibule. If the area is a large space that the congregation can gather for fellowship, it is called a narthex; different parts for different needs of the community. Your church might have no transition space you jump right in when you open the door.

The Holy of Holies in the temple was the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, and was seen as God’s footstool and resting place reserved for God alone. In most Protestant churches that space is where the choir sits and that might be why they think that have better seats. More importantly, the space between the Holy of Holies at the back and the narthex or vestibule at the front entrance is called the Nave. It is the middle part, just like our navel. We usually call it the sanctuary. Which speaks of its function more than its dimensions.

Speaking of measurements, forty cubits would be roughly sixty feet. The height of the temple was thirty cubits and the width was twenty cubits. The nave was a large open space. Why would they need such a large nave or sanctuary? God was planning for the faithful to have plenty of room for worship. Plenty of room to move around, sing, dance, express, and make offerings. What size is the sanctuary or nave of your church? Do you have room for more people, probably, then this is your invitation to fill it up, and not just on Easter Sunday. Get to work.

Action Plan: Look in each room in your house and ask yourself what work is God doing here? How do we find the sacred and holy in all the places we live, work, and worship?

Prayer: Wherever I go, let me doing your work while I am there. Amen.