'17You blind fools! For which is
greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the
gold sacred?
Space matters. Yup, the universe. But that’s not
what I mean. What I mean are the spaces in our lives
we occupy.
Having a sacred space is essential to me. What is a
sacred space? For me, a sacred space is a space I
have set aside to encounter the Divine.
The sanctuary in a church is a space set aside for
worship. You’re right, we don’t need sanctuaries to
encounter the Divine. But as a Christian, a
sanctuary is where we worship, and worship is a
space in time when we set aside time to be together
in community to share life, pray together, listen to
our sacred story and stories, celebrate the
sacraments, and acknowledge the graces in our lives.
Sanctuary.
I need sanctuary. A space to get away from it all.
It being the demands and busyness of life.
Sanctuary is where I can rest, connect with my True
Self, and be present before the Triune God.
We don’t need the things of our
sacred spaces to encounter the Divine, but they
help. The bells and whistles of what we do engage
the entirety of ourselves and help us recognize we
are a part of something Greater. The problem I face
in my life when it comes to sanctuary is when I
become preoccupied with the things of the space and
not what the space cultivates.
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For instance…Many times I have not
entered my sanctuary at home because I did not have
the right candle, incense, or music. This is silly,
right? I don’t need those things to find sanctuary.
When this happens, I take note because I’m usually
using the absence of these items to avoid what the
sanctuary would help call forth. The clutter in my
life.
Sanctuary. The space we can enter into and be safe.
Be ourselves. When we can’t do this, we have lost
sanctuary.
Think about land sanctuaries. These are spaces where
animals and plants can exist without threats from
outside forces—usually humans. In these spaces, the
wildness of God is prevalent. People flock to these
spaces because they remove us from the mundaneness
of life. We set aside these spaces as a way to
recognize their sacredness—their real state of
existence. Sanctuary.
What is your sanctuary? Where is your sanctuary?
God, prepare me to be a sanctuary.
[Adam Quine, First
Presbyterian Church in Lincoln] |
