2024-12-23
Brooke Strong
Sermon Text...
Pastor Vicki McGaw
December 22, 2024
Oh my goodness . . . don’t you just love this scripture passage? It is absolutely one of my favorites, perhaps because it is a bible story that offers a rare focus on a strong relationship between women. And how can you not love the powerful words Mary sings in the Magnificat? They are words of both joy and resistance, the epitome of speaking truth to power!
I love the image of this young girl, pregnant, unwed and poor, fleeing to the home of her older cousin where she is welcomed and affirmed. When she is surrounded by both physical and cultural dangers, it is to Elizabeth that she turns and from her, without question, Mary is offered a safe haven full of love, care and acceptance. “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb,” Elizabeth tells the younger woman.
As I was reflecting on this text over these last weeks, I thought a lot about where I turn when I am seeking sanctuary and, with Christmas Eve just around the corner, I thought of the refuge I find at the end of that day. Years ago, when our children were young and money was tight, we decided that we would spend our limited funds on things for the kids and not buy things for each other.
Instead, we would make a special appetizer, pour ourselves a glass of asti, and curl up on the couch in front of the fire to relax in the glow of the Christmas tree and candlelight while carols played in the background. That became our sanctuary after an exhausting time preparing for the holiday.
Of course, as the kids got older and stayed up later than we did, it became harder to carve out that space, but we’d banish them from the living room for a while so that we could enjoy a time of peace. It’s a tradition we have continued to this day and one that has become even more meaningful as a pastor because, after pouring myself into leading Christmas Eve services, there is nothing better than that time of peace with my husband at the end of the day.
I also thought about other places where I find sanctuary: relaxing on the beach on the Outer Banks where we have spent many vacations and formed cherished memories over the last 30 years. Or sitting on the hill at Blossom enjoying a glass of wine and a picnic while listening to the beautiful music of the Cleveland orchestra. And I thought about one of my favorite progressive musicians, a person I’ve had the pleasure to spend time with earlier this year. Carrie Newcomer writes wonderful songs that reflect her faith, and Sanctuary one of my favorites. I would love to sing it for you, but since that won’t go well, just listen to the words of the refrain:
Will you be my refuge, my haven in the storm
Will you keep the embers warm when my fire’s all but gone?
Will you remember, and bring me sprigs of rosemary,
Be my sanctuary ‘til I can carry on, carry on, carry on . . .
All of this made me wonder about where others find sanctuary and so I asked some of my friends and all of you to respond to this question. Among the answers I received there were some common themes with nature, family and friends topping the list.
It won’t come as a surprise to those who know her that Maryann Viveros finds sanctuary in nature, particularly when working in her own, or clients’ gardens or while listening to birds. Quoting Anne Frank, she noted, “I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.” Someone else shared that she goes to the woods for solace and to talk to God. Marty Culbertson and Thea Mozingo offered pictures to show their places of sanctuary. Marty’s are of her family cottage on the shores of Lake Huron in Red Bay, Ontario, while Thea sent these beautiful shots of White Thistle Farm, her home here in Chagrin Falls.
Another place of sanctuary mentioned often was spending time with family and friends. One person noted that she receives unconditional, nonjudgmental love in abundance from her sister. Another shared that her closest friends love her unconditionally and called these spiritual relationships that are reciprocal, long-lasting and filled with forgiveness and love. I was touched by a person who shared that her sanctuary is in the arms of her husband where she feels genuine love and palpable peace. My friend Ben, a police detective, shares that he and his colleagues realize that there is strength in numbers, so they need to lean on and learn from one another. They abide by a saying: “When the going gets tough, bring friends.”
Another response that people who know her will appreciate comes from Susi Kawolics. Susi finds sanctuary in her backyard labyrinth and in the presence of those who have visited it and her home. She also finds peace at the hermitage at Mount St. Benedict where she goes to prepare her annual Advent devotional booklet.
Pause for a moment. Close your eyes and think about where you find your own sanctuary – in what place, with what people? Realize that any place where God’s love dwells freely and abundantly can be your sanctuary.
There is an interesting aspect to this story that might be easily overlooked. While Mary sought sanctuary with Elizabeth, she also offered sanctuary. As the thee·uh·tow·kows – or dwelling place of God – her body provided refuge for Jesus to develop and grow. When he was a child, she created safe space for him to learn and prepare for ministry.
Like Mary, we can both receive safe refuge, then provide it for others as Jan Richardson notes in her beautiful poem, A Blessing Called Sanctuary. Listen:
You hardly knew how hungry you were to be gathered in,
to receive the welcomethat invited you to enter entirely —
nothing of you found foreign or strange, nothing of your life that you were asked to leave behind or to carry in silence or in shame.
Tentative steps became settling in, leaning into the blessing that enfolded you, taking your place in the circle
that stunned you with its unimagined grace.
You began to breathe again,to move without fear, to speak with abandon the words you carried in your bones, that echoed in your being. You learned to sing.
But the deal with this blessing is that it will not leave you alone, will not let you linger in safety, in stasis.
The time will come when this blessing will ask you to leave,
not because it has tired of you but because it desires for you to become the sanctuary that you have found – to speak your word into the world, to tell what you have heard
with your own ears, seen with your own eyes, known in your own heart:
That you are beloved, a precious child of God, beautiful to behold, and you are welcome, and more than welcome
here.
I wonder if we use Elizabeth and Mary as examples or follow Carrie Newcomer’s words, if we can be a refuge, someone’s haven in a storm. This is something I think we do this well in this church. I was recently talking with a guest who shared that they really felt welcome here. They shared, “I love that this is a place where all can be accepted – it is a place for me!”
Earlier this week, a group of us had a chance to visit the folks at Re:Source Cleveland and learn a bit more about the ways that they provide sanctuary for refugees newly arriving in this country. On Christmas Eve, we too can be a part of offering refuge to this community as we provide funding for a box truck that will enable them to expand the ministry of their farm and offer more jobs and income for this worthy non-profit.
One person, responding to my email, summed up his thoughts in one simple, but profound sentence: “It gives me comfort to know that ultimately God is in charge.” This is SO true, friends! In this final week when we await coming of God with Us, may we all find comfort in the sanctuary that God offers. Amen!