"Then God said, ‘Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground" (Ex. 3:5)

Moses was in the wilderness watching over his father-in-law's sheep. There was nothing extraordinary about that. But as Moses tended to that very ordinary task something extraordinary took place. Before his very eyes the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire that burned from a bush without consuming the bush. How could this bush burn without being reduced to ashes? Moses turned to gaze upon this wondrous sight. Out of that blazing bush, the Lord said to Moses "Do not draw near…take off your shoes for you are standing on holy ground." Holy ground. God's ground; His space. "Our God is a consuming fire," says the Book of Hebrews, yet the bush is not burned up. The fire is a manifestation of the Lord's presence, that is, of His holiness.

God alone is holy. We sing that in the Gloria: "For Thou only art holy." Three times the Sanctus states that God alone is holy. The liturgy simply echoes the Scripture; over and over again the Scriptures proclaim that God is holy. Holiness is the essence of His being. Apart from the Triune God there is no holiness. All other holiness is derived from contact with God like electricity from a battery.

God reveals His holiness to Moses in the fire of the burning bush. This gives us an insight into the nature of God's holiness. It is the nature of fire to be either beneficial or destructive. Take for example that great mass of flame, the sun. The sun can scorch the earth, causing plants to whither and die. Or the sun can radiate warmth, causing plants to flourish and be fruitful. It all depends on occupying the right position in relationship to the sun. So also with God and His holiness. If one is positioned in unbelief and sin before the holiness of God, His holiness is fire that destroys. But if one stands before God on His own terms, that is in faith, God's holiness is flame that generates the warmth of mercy, bestowing light and life.

For many, even the word "holy" is a red-flag kind of word. Many folks confuse holiness with morality or a particularly strict life style like that espoused by the so-called Holiness churches. Holiness is then seen as something we do or achieve, like the self-appointed evangelist who claimed not to have sinned in the last ten years. But I suspect there is another reason that we have trouble with the biblical language of holiness. Perhaps we have been influenced by the cultural of secularism that maintains nothing is holy, that is, nothing belongs to God. Not the unborn baby in its mother's womb who is granted life only if the mother so chooses. Marriage is being redefined so as to ignore the fact that God established it as a life-long union between one man and one women. Men and women are encouraged to view their bodies as toys rather than temples of the Holy Spirit. And we have Dr. Kevorkian to take care of those toys once they break.

Now you may be wondering what all of this has do with the dedication of your new church. We're getting there! I would suggest to you that our culture's discomfort with the holiness of God is reflected in what we see happening in many churches today. Nowadays not a few church buildings are designed to look very secular, like auditoriums. And it is no wonder that the things which transpire within them have little connection with heavenly realities. Ministers act as though they were talk show hosts, not stewards of the mysteries of God. Homemade liturgies tell us more about the creativity of those who devised them than they do about the Holy Trinity. Closed communion is dismissed as not being "visitor friendly" and all are allowed to belly up to the altar without regard for catechesis, confession, and pastoral care. Indeed we may be tempted to cry out "Is nothing holy any more?"

On the basis of God's Word, we may answer "Yes, there is a Holy God and He calls His people to stand on holy ground." Our sin and God's holiness is deadly combination. When God's holiness and man's sin mix, there you have an explosion and it is not God who gets burned. Or does He? A Holy God whose passion it is to have a holy people stand in His presence for all eternity sent His Son into this world to take on all our sin-all that makes us unholy, all that alienates us from His holy presence-to take all of that upon Himself. As the sacrifices were consumed by fire in the Old Testament Temple, so the Lord Jesus Christ offers Himself as the sacrifice for our sin. He is the Lamb of God basted with the juices of our sin and roasted over the flames of God's wrath in our stead. He becomes the whole burnt offering, that takes away our sin. His holy blood shed on Calvary's cross cleanses us from all sin and makes us holy people, a "holy nation" as Peter calls us in his first epistle. In His flesh Jesus is the very Temple of God and those who are joined to Him in Holy Baptism are made members of His royal priesthood, sanctified by His blood to offer spiritual sacrifices.

When you come into this church you set foot on holy ground. Because here the same God who appeared to Moses on Horeb in the burning bush is coming to us in His Word and Supper; and where He is present, there is holy ground.

Someone has said that we shape our architecture and then our architecture shapes us. By God's grace and blessing you have been permitted to construct this beautiful new building. Today it is dedicated to the glory of God. That is, it is set apart for His use. You are to be commended for designing and building an edifice that reflects the holiness of God to which we have access in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

When you come into this place you will be reminded that you are setting foot on holy ground. The hymn that we sang at the beginning of the Service states it well:

"Now we may gather with our King
      E'en in the lowliest dwelling;
Praises to Him we there may bring,
      His wondrous mercy forthtelling.
Jesus His grace to us accords;
Spirit and life are all His words;
      His truth doth hallow the temple.

Here stands the font before our eyes
      Telling how God did receive us;
The altar recalls Christ's sacrifice
      And what His table doth give us;
Here sounds the Word that doth proclaim
      Christ yesterday, today, the same,
Yea, and for aye our Redeemer"

There is only one way to stand on holy ground and that is in repentance and faith. God told Moses to take the sandals from off feet. We don't take our shoes off when we come to church but we do lay aside our sin. Confessing our sin, we receive God's own absolution--His words that give us the forgiveness of sins on account of Christ's sacrifice. That sacrifice brings us into the presence of a Holy God--Father, Son, and Spirit to worship Him as the Psalmist says in "the beauty of holiness." God grant that this building may always be holy ground, hallowed by the pure preaching of God's Word and the faithful administration of His sacraments for the comfort of sinners and the glory of God's name. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.