We will spend the coming weeks drilling deep down into what it means for our church to value sanctuary. In Scripture a sanctuary is a place where one meets God. The tabernacle and the temple are examples of sanctuaries where Israel experienced the presence of God. However, sanctuary is more than a place. In the New Testament, it is a person—Jesus Christ. Jesus is the new temple in whom the full presence of God dwells. And yet there’s still more! Paul doesn’t stop there. He says that you and I are temples too! That God dwells in us and others can find God when they're with us. There’s a lot to unpack here, which is why we will take some time with this topic. Today we will start at the bookends of the Bible, Eden and The New Jerusalem, two places where God and humanity live together in perfect peace.