Comments on: Sacred Space

By: Evangeist Beverly Turner

Evangeist Beverly Turner — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:47:25 +0000

Sory Julie if you refered to God as a her you need to repent.
Jesus called God his Father and taught us also to do so.
Julie if your God can be both ,you need to be introduced to
the creator God who alone is God.
I will pray for you.
We are in the days of great deception.
Beverly Turner

By: Sabio Lantz

Sabio Lantz — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:53:34 +0000

Without marketing, many institutions die. Education and nurturing are often low on the lists.

By: Gary Hardwick

Gary Hardwick — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:24:01 +0000

First time reader. I was with you for a while. Your discussion of sacred space seemed to be about differences in ways to experience God, and an appreciation for an expansion of understanding the nature of sacred spaces. And then, there is this statement: "setting apart a space as sacred flies in the face of all that Christ was." I think you may have overreached there, and in the process (1) Misconstrued Jesus' relationship with the Temple, and (2)spoken very judgmentally of the practice of people who choose to set aside a place that is sanctuary and find that choice very meaningful. Not the only place where they meet God but a place set aside where, with intent, they meet God.
As for the whole dressing up thing, it feels more cultural to me than some grandiose expression of wealth. I grew up in the 50s and 60s. We weren't rich by any means, but we dressed up to go to church because it was what everyone else did. We had a set, usually one, of Sunday clothes, because it was an expression of honor, respect, and reverence for going to church. Probably not an meaningful expression since it seems no longer be practiced.

By: Richard Burton

Richard Burton — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:11:25 +0000

PS. For me, sacred space is where I casn be the most real even when that might be throwing balls around.

By: Richard Burton

Richard Burton — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:10:08 +0000

I am astounded when I read of attitudes such as Pastor Mack's. I don't know what tradition that his thinking comes from. I could never be a part of any congregation where this was the prevailing attitude. I want to participate in a church where worship is a time when I can be real.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:29:38 +0000

Thinking of Sacred space brings to mind sacred time and sacred thoughts. Is it so easy to divide the worlds into sacred and non-sacred?
The Celts speak of 'thin space' where the veil between this world and the spirit world is 'thin'. A lofty mountain, a simple brook, a quiet meadow, the seashore, a still pond, a quiet sanctuary, Christmas eve candle-lit Silent Night. We have all been in these sacred place-time-thoughts. What if the sacred was carried within us, the sacred image of the living God present in all places-times-thoughts? Our life as living prayers. Sacred place-time-prayer.

By: melissa

melissa — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:06:52 +0000

This is a hard one for me, because I fall on both sides of the issue. I find in myself an ever-increasing passion for seeing the sacred in all aspects of my life, in all times and places, and learning anew every day that God shows up, unbounded, all over the place. And so my very life becomes an act of worship, in every time and place and moment.

At the same time, I am, by personality, a person who craves set-apart sacred space as well. If I can have a favorite chair that is nearly-exclusively used as my reading chair, and if I have a favorite window that is nearly-exclusively used as my place to drink coffee and look out at the yard in the mornings, and if I have a dedicated drawer in my desk where I keep all of my prayer books and journals, then why not also crave a set-apart sacred space in the church in which to enact corporate worship?

I agree that the concept of a building large enough to have a large, relatively-unused worship space does hint at wealthy Westernism, and I'm not quite sure how to reconcile that in my mind. And there are plenty of places and ways to worship that don't require a dedicated space (including all sorts of varieties of "liturgy").

I guess I don't have much of an answer here, except to say that I live in myself the reality of seeing worship in all times and places, while still feeling drawn to set-aside space (for worship or other tasks in life).

By: Julie Clawson

Julie Clawson — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:37:21 +0000

Laurie – I was just thinking the same thing. The whole idea that a church building should be devoted to only solemn worship is a VERY wealthy Western idea. It assumes that indigenous forms of worship are improper and that wealth/status are more important than community. I feel the same way about the whole dressing up thing DRT mentioned – that whole discussion only matters if you are wealthy to begin with with the resources to dress nicely to feel good about yourself. I am very uneasy with a discussion that defines worship in ways that implies that God is only present in rich western churches that have solemn and decorous worship (read liturgy). That isn't the God I worship.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:31:38 +0000

I changed my link as my link in the above comment is broken.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:30:46 +0000

Some churches (not the building, the people) don't have a choice but to use the building for many purposes. It's a luxury of Western churches to have that "sacred space" mentality. I worship in a poor country, in an even poorer neighborhood than the average. The building is just a building, for weddings, services, meetings, and anything that requires shelter! And the shelter is a term I would use loosely since we have open spaces that never can be closed!

The services are great! Because God dwells in our praises, and in our united prayers. Maybe US churches and richer congregations ought to look at the developing world as a model.