“‘Take a trip down to the place that was once in Shiloh, where I met my people in the early days. Take a look at those ruins, what I did to it because of the evil ways of my people Israel (Jeremiah 7:12 MSG).

Before I moved with my family this summer, I spent some extra time in the worship and outdoor spaces at each of our campuses. Whenever I had some spare minutes in my comings and goings of church work, I’d choose a seat in the worship spaces or pull up a rocking chair on the porch and be still for a while. 

They were sweet sanctuaries during an exceptionally stressful season.

Churches have long been considered sanctuaries--people of all walks have sought them out for safety and refuge from whatever ails them, from without or within. What a beautiful example of the love of God it is when Christians are open handed with their spaces and are havens to the weary, the marginalized, the down and out, the have-no-other-places-to-go. 

What happens when Christians use their spaces to exclude, to inflict harm, to benefit themselves only? 

In Jeremiah 7, the prophet confronted the Israelites with their ongoing misuse of God’s Temple, and they refused to repent and make a change despite being given many opportunities to do so (v13). God invited them to look back at Shiloh. It had also been a sanctuary in the days of their ancestors, but both the sanctuary and the ancestors were destroyed for the same evil ways (v12), and still the people refused to change.

In our modern times we might ask, “What happens when Christians use their buildings, their ministries, or even their faith as a “get out of jail free” card, and as a means of excusing and getting away with all sorts of bad behavior? 

Perhaps television evangelists come to mind, or those who use God’s name to cover their own selfish agendas, or those who put the name “Christian” on activities and attitudes that are clearly not in line with Jesus. God said it to the Israelites, and He says it to everyone: 

“Do you think you can turn this Temple, set apart for my worship, into something like that? Well, think again. I’ve got eyes in my head. I can see what’s going on” (v11).

Thank you, God, for the blessing of a community of believers that is generous hearted, outwardly focused, and a sweet sanctuary for any and all who need it! Help us to remember the pitfalls that come with misusing what You have given us. Amen.