what makes a space sacred

The spaces we dwell in have a powerful effect on us. Moving from our parking lot toward the church we enter into community. The doors open to welcome us. The narthex is a passage into fellowship and a prelude to prayer. Anticipation is in the very air held within those walls. Grasping the handles of the doors to the church is like the handshake of a solemn and joy-filled old friend. Entering in, we sense an invitation into worship built into the very bones of the space. Front and center are the altar, the crucifix and the call to prayer in our moments of need in the Gethsemane window. The center aisle, the pews, the banners and even the center ceiling beam  all direct our attention toward the center of our communal worship.

The people, the light, the colors, the art and the music that fill this space shimmer with God’s glory.  This space is thick with the incense of memory. Every act of worship, every sacrament, every prayer lifted up and every prayer answered, every moment of grief, despair, reconciliation joy and love brought into this space live here in and between these walls. God’s love for us and our love of God and neighbor—the very substance of our faith—are incarnate here.

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