Sacred Spaces

Not sure when I noticed this about myself, but environments are important to me.  The ambiance of it, I mean.  Works spaces, sleep spaces, eating spaces.  I wish this translated into something of a talent for decorating, but it doesn't.  And it's not exactly what I'm talking about anyways.

It's about -- Well, the spaces that are most important, actually, are the ones that become sacred spaces.

And right now I'm not talking about temples or sanctuaries or church buildings.  I'm talking about the kind of spaces that become something else to us, individually.

I've set up something of a work station for myself down at the church.  During this interim pastor stint, I will leave our Senior Pastor's office alone.  And my own home office, which I LOVE as a workspace, will remain intact.  In both instances, it's about the books mostly.  Can't even think of schlepping my books back down to the other end of town.  And anyways, with Covid in play, I'll be working from home for most of the week.

Even so, it seemed important to me to make this little work station mean something.  

In a fortunate overlapping of time-continuum orbits, Ken's company recently decided to forgo their rented space and have each of the three comrades work from home.  That meant clearing out the office they had, with some furniture left over.  I have 'adopted' a narrow desk with matching hutch, plus a moderately sized bookcase, both of which fit very nicely into the room Highview cleared out for my use.  Add a small tub chair, an office chair and a picture or two, and I have a space that will serve me very well.  Oh, and a vanilla candle of course.

None of this makes it sacred, of course.

For any space to become a sacred space, it's about what happens there.

Before I go too much further, I need to be clear that my understanding of how the Bible describes God is that He is <clearing throat for a big word here> Omnipresent.  He's everywhere.  So, in a sense, every space is sacred space.  Most of life is made up of mundane moments that also capture something holy if we pay attention to the many patient interactions God initiates with us....all the time.  So yes, we also experience the Every-where Presence of God.  Just to state the obvious in case anyone's worried.

Even so.  Sometimes certain private spaces are consecrated.  And then, on purpose or maybe even sort of by accident, the intentional habitual use of a space for spiritual practices, tend to imprint strong and sacred associations. 

We're all spending more time at home these days (said Captain Obvious).  And I'm guessing that for many of us there's a space like that where we live.  A chair by a window.  A spot by a fireplace.  In better weather, out on the porch or somewhere on a back patio.  A place where we go on purpose to meet with God.

And I guess what I'm marveling at in this, is the fact that Creator God, King of the Universe would "humour" us in this.  That the One who exists outside of Time and Space would deem to in some way restrict Himself, if that's even the right way to think about it, into our time and space just so that we could know Him.  That He would "humour" us, honour us, Love us....like this.

A manger.

That was a sacred space once.

Oh the lengths to which He'll go!

I'm grateful that Highview has allowed me this work station, and that I've had the chance to make it a 'warm' ambient place to work from.  I'm grateful for all the ways God moves right in.  Can't wait to see what He's got in mind as we move ahead into these next months.