John 17: 17
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
When I was a boy, I enjoyed visiting my best friend’s house. The back room of their house was filled with musical instruments. There was a large upright piano, a banjo, banjo mandolin, upright bass, and various ukuleles. I’m sure there were more instruments as well. But, those are the ones that I remember.
My friend’s family was musical, and encouraged their two boys to play music. The music room was the play room. Their approach worked. Both of the boys became professional, accomplished, musicians.
On the way to the music room, there was a living room. It was usually dark and the furniture was covered in plastic. Unlike the back room where we kids played, the living room was clean and quiet. It was a kind of holy place in that house. I don’t remember ever going there. Not once.
To be sanctified means to be holy. To be holy means to be set apart. So, we might start to think that a holy life means that we should be put under a plastic cover and separated from all people. There have been groups in Christianity that have developed a life totally separate from society. During times of great conflict and persecution this is most likely not even a choice. Today, Christians are finding themselves in an increasingly evil age and are separating from the institutions of society that had once been useable for all people, but are no more. So, with this in mind, what does it mean to be sanctified?
Jesus teaches us that being sanctified isn’t simply about separating ourselves from society, per se. You could be a monk and be far from holy! There is one way to be sanctified that that is what Jesus prayed for you. He prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
The Word of God sanctifies us, makes us holy, and separates us from the judgement that will fall upon the evil of this world. God sanctifies us through the person and work of Jesus, who died on the cross for our forgiveness and rose again for our eternal life. God grants us the gift of the Holy Spirit and faith through our baptism to take the Word and make it dwell in our hearts. Through the inspired Word of God we made clean, holy, and daily restored to the image of God in which we were created. This is evident in how we live our lives in faith towards God and Christian love towards others.
Thus sanctified by the Word of God, we are sent out into the world. In our community, in the workplace, and in our social circles, we practice what we have received from Jesus. We don’t copy the world, we live the life of Jesus! To the Christian, it is as if the world were one great music room where we can show the joy of knowing Jesus, sing His praises through our living, and invite others to join in the truth of the Love of God through faith in Jesus.
When I became an adult, I set aside one room in the house as holy… but it wasn’t a living room… we never had a living room that was pristine. We had too many kids! However, we did set aside one room for musical instruments. Drums, guitars, ukuleles, basses, and all sorts of noisemakers were there for all to play. It worked. The kids are all musical. And if that works for music, think how much better the sanctifying Word of God will save the souls in our homes and society as we share the gift we have been given in Jesus, joyfully, and noisily, within our homes.
Let us pray,
I thank you Lord Jesus for praying for my protection through your sanctifying Work and Word. Help me to receive your gifts with thanksgiving, repent of my sins daily, rejoice in your forgiveness, and practice my faith in such a way that all people see you and are saved. In your name I pray. Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.