“How lovely are your dwelling places, O Lord God of hosts!
My soul longed, and even yearned for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.”
Psalm 84:1-2, NASB

To be invited into the courts of the king has always been a huge honor. Especially, if the honor is bestowed upon one who has found his sovereign’s favor. To find the favor of the King of kings brings joy beyond imagination. Is this our mindset when we gather together for worship on Sunday morning? Do we regard the place where we gather as sacred and holy? My fear is that in our zeal to emphasize that the church is not the building but the people in it, we have lost all regard for the place itself.

It’s true that the church building holds no particular quality that renders it special in God’s economy. However, when Sunday morning comes and God’s people gather for true worship, it is transformed into the throne-room of Almighty God. It has nothing to do with the wood, brick, and mortar, but is entirely due to who is there. In that place, the saints of God are assembled to offer praise and worship to the King. And, it is His presence that makes that place special.

Followers of Christ have always been transient. We go from place to place wherever God calls us. We don’t have a single place on earth that we regard as sacred. We don’t worship a building. That being said, let’s not lose the idea of God’s house. It’s not the brick, stone, wood, or carpet that make it so. It’s what happens there. Wherever we gather, be it a building, a room in a school, or a clearing in the woods; it’s God’s house because God’s people are gathered there to honor, worship, and praise their sovereign King.