This is the word that most people, both churched and unchurched know, but about which there is the most confusion, not to mention mystery.

Sanctuary comes from the latin "sanctuarium" meaning "holy place" and is familiar to those of us who know our Old Testament as that place where the ark of the covenant was kept.

When the Israelites were on their desert pilgrimage, the sanctuary was also mobile and the ark was placed behind a curtain in the tent of meeting.

When the temple of Jerusalem was built, the sanctuary became more permanent and was called the Holy of Holies, (sanctum sanctorum) a place where only the high priest could enter, and then only once a year, to intercede for the sins of the community.

Therefore, to the Israelites the sanctuary was a place of such sacredness that, essentially none were allowed to enter.

However, with the coming of Christ, our notion of what constitutes sanctuary has been transformed.

In some churches, like the Greek Orthodox, the sanctuary is hidden behind the iconostasis, a great wall of pictures displaying Christ's saving work, and as with the Israelites is forbidden to all except priests and ministers of the sacrament.

In other churches, the sanctuary refers to the entire worship space where the faithful gather to hear God's word proclaimed; But for us, the sanctuary is only that part of our worship space where the altar resides, symbolizing that we come to sanctity and holiness both through the one who sacrificed his life for us and by gathering around the table to be nurtured by his body and blood in order that we may witness to his saving grace in the world.

Moreover, unlike our Israelite forbearers, or our Orthodox brothers and sisters, the sanctuary is not just a place for priests and ministers, it is the place where all are invited to receive God's grace.

In this way communion rails are not meant to keep the laity out; rather they are the place where we stand or kneel in the presence of the one who was sacrificed for us and whose body makes us one body.