Two events coincided in our church a few Sundays ago. First, our recently homeless, five-year-old church met indoors for the first time in 52 weeks. Second, this was our first Sunday in our new location. In person. Indoors. In our own building.

I preached on Psalm 84:1–12. The opening lines go, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of Hosts! . . . Blessed are those who dwell in your house!” This seemed fitting, although it came with interpretive risks. Given common misperceptions, I had to clarify that I chose this text about the House of God not because we had entered a building that was the House of God but because we, as the House of God, had entered the building.

What made 1001 Washington Avenue holy on Sunday was not its vaulted ceiling, exquisite stained glass, or thunderous pipe organ. The location became holy because a congregation of “living stones”—regenerated, gospel-believing, and Spirit-consecrated worshipers of the Living God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—chose to assemble as a House in which God could dwell (2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:18–22; 1 Pet. 2:4–5).

The age of sacred buildings is over. The Old Covenant tabernacle and temple model that symbolized God’s presence among his people is now passé. What used to happen on site—in a sacred tent or majestic temple—now happens in all locations, wherever a local, duly led congregation of Jesus-followers gathers to worship God, hear the Word preached, raise their prayers like incense (Rev. 5:8), and observe the sacraments. In other words, we are the House of God.

The Dearest Place on Earth

Psalm 84 exclaims that God’s dwelling place is “lovely.” The Hebrew word is better rendered “loved” or “beloved,” which means that Psalm 84 expresses great love for God’s House (John Goldingay, Baker Commentary, 589). This is an exuberant love song extolling the place where God draws near and dwells. With a New Testament understanding of God’s House in mind, we may capture the truth like this: “How dearly loved is the gathered church, the House of God!”

This is Spurgeon-like enthusiasm. A world-renowned, nineteenth-century pastor who labored tirelessly in his local church for thirty-eight years, Charles Spurgeon practiced what he preached:

Give yourself to the Church. You that are members of the Church have not found it perfect and I hope that you feel almost glad that you have not. If I had never joined a Church till I had found one that was perfect, I would never have joined one at all! And the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect Church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us . . . [Therefore], all who have first given themselves to the Lord, should, as speedily as possible, also give themselves to the Lord’s people. (Charles Spurgeon, “The Best Donation,” (No. 2234) an exposition of 2 Corinthians 8:5 delivered on April 5, 1891 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England, emphasis added)

I hope my life models the humility and grace with which Spurgeon viewed the church. I can say that this past Sunday marked the thirty-ninth anniversary of my first Sunday in pastoral ministry. For thirty-nine years I have had the weighty privilege of being a shepherd in the House of God. And to this day I would say there is nowhere I would rather be. Despite all its flaws—and despite all of mine—it is still the dearest place there is, this side of heaven.

Is it Really the Dearest Place?

But is the Lord’s congregation really the dearest place on earth—or is that hyperbolic preacher-talk? We must admit many have been burnt by the church. In truth, everyone who has joined a church for any length of time has had bad experiences. I’ve been burnt hundreds of times and, undoubtedly, have burned others in equal number. Undeniable imperfections within the House of God might well tempt cynics to respond: “Give us one good reason to believe the church is the dearest place on earth!” But to this the psalmist, as if anticipating the challenge, offers seven.

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