Our final post: Psalm 136, Sanctuary-style

Well, Sanctuary has now met for the last time and, in the words of an old prayer, what has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done: let it be. I am in the process of closing things down, and this will be the final post. We’ll finish off with Psalm 136, Sanctuary-style, developed from your responses to a prayerful exercise (here).

John | Farewell Sanctuary, my beautiful beloveds

Words for the closing of a church. (Listen.)

Once upon a time, nearly eight years ago, some of us did something very foolish. A bunch of people who had mostly drifted away from church or were burned by church or had been rejected by church bumped into a quirky minister on holiday, and wondered if they might try again.

A silver spoon from Richmond, revisited

When Beth first worshipped with Sanctuary, she found it so mysterious that she wrote a poem. It became something we shared at our annual covenanting service. A few weeks ago, she went back to the poem and added the lines in italics. It is a beautiful witness to the transforming power of a small, gentle gathering around the gospel. Thank you so much, Beth, for sharing this with us now.

Matthew | The billionaire, the stockbroker and the storyteller

Maybe God isn’t an angry absentee landlord, and maybe the wicked, lazy, worthless bloke isn’t the slave at all. A provocative retelling of the parable of the talents. (Listen.)

Who profits? Who pays? For many years, these words were daubed in bright yellow paint on a wall near my old house; I read them every time I walked past. Gradually they sunk in, until they became the fundamental questions I bring to everything. The news. A sermon. A theological position. A decision. And, of course, any reading of the Bible.

Psalms | Writing a psalm of thanksgiving

God’s steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1b)

When a church closes, there is much to grieve yet also much to celebrate. It is usual for some of this to be done in a formal way at the final service, through two or three people chosen to tell that community’s story. Typically, they would be minister and deacons, but of course this preferences a particular type of person and power. However, I think it would be more appropriate to make space for many different voices.

Matthew | Five foolish bridesmaids, embraced

We will find Christ among foolish bridesmaids and other outcasts. (Listen.)

Come on, girls, you’ve been working since dawn and it’s only midnight—how dare you sleep? Wake up! Be alert, bright as a button; anticipate your master’s every need. You have more oil? Don’t you dare share, you know it’s a limited good. And stop fretting about your foolish sisters turned away from the banquet.

Matthew | First thoughts, second thoughts, and action

Go, work in the vineyard! (Matthew 21:28)

On Sunday I spoke about being filled with Christ and giving our lives away (here). As invariably happens when I speak of self-giving love and service, the immediate response was hedging, qualifications and pushback.

Matthew | Authority in the church

In communities of faith, integrity, service and love are the hallmarks of legitimate authority. (Listen.)

‘The greatest among you will be your servant,’ says Jesus. He’s just identified the greatest commandments, that is, to love God and neighbour. Now, he’s identifying the greatest person: and it’s the one who loves. That is, they set aside their own interests, roll up their sleeves, and serve.

Trusting in the foolishness of death, Sanctuary will close

Not one stone will be left … (Matthew 24:2)

Holy God,
whose presence is known
in the structures we build
and also in their collapse:
establish in us a desire
not to contain your mystery,
but to be led beyond security
into your sacred space,
through Jesus Christ: Amen.

Matthew | The demands of love

Love is not a warm smooshy feeling, but a decision, an action, and an orientation. (Listen.)

Perhaps you’ve seen About a Boy, which is really about two boys, or maybe more. One is twelve-year-old Marcus, growing up in precarious circumstances. The other is the beautifully named Will Freeman. Will is a man-child whose wealth has insulated him from other people, and from life itself. Yet through one of his most selfish decisions, he’s thrown into the path of young Marcus; and Marcus begins to make demands on him.