Sacred Space

Over the past couple of days, we’ve been reflecting on the idea of sanctuary. In many religious traditions, there is a gathering place, where the community comes together to hear and experience God’s presence.

I love the way the Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue frames the importance of this simple act. He writes:

“When one enters (a sanctuary) one does not simply enter a building; rather one enters unknowingly the gathered memory. This house is a living archive of transcendence… People have come into this (space) with burdens of heart that could find healing nowhere else in the world. They have come in here for shelter when storms have unraveled every stitch of meaning from their lives. And they have come in too to give thanks for blessings and gifts they could never have earned…Somewhere in this kept-darkness, the affection that created us waits to bless and heal us.”

All of this makes me think about the sanctuary where my congregation meets. I think about all the people over the years, myself included, who have shown up on a Sunday morning with heavy hearts. I think about moments when I’ve sat there pleading with God for mercy in my own life – and for the world… and other moments when the choir soared and the music touched my soul, and I felt glad to be alive; moments when my heart sang with sheer gratitude and praise. And moments when I felt convicted.

While that place is sacred, at the same time, it is also true that we can enter God’s presence in worship in other spaces.

I know a couple of our parishioners talked about how on Christmas Eve, they worshiped at our church online. They dimmed the lights in their own house and lit a candle. And the lights from all of us in the sanctuary on the screen set an ambiance… And they felt the Spirit’s presence right there in their living room. 

To come into God’s presence means simply to set time aside, perhaps to create a space. And to connect with others even across technology – as we sing, celebrate and acknowledge our common needs. We read these ancient texts in the hopes that our lives will be reshaped more and more into the image of Christ.

May you and I continue to find sanctuary as we offer our entire being in worship to the living God. May we come to see it as the gift that it is. And, in our offering, may God’s healing grace wash over us anew. 

Let us pray: We praise you for the gift of life and love, O God. We turn our hearts now to take sanctuary in you. Take our hearts… take our guilt, our shame, our worries, our anxiety, our joy, our praise, our lives… And fill us with healing, meaning, hope… with mana, with the Bread of Life; through Christ, our Lord. Amen.