It is good for us to remember the place sacred spaces have in our lives. It was in a sacred space that we were welcomed into the Christian community at baptism. It was in a sacred space that we received our first communion, made our first confession, were confirmed and perhaps married or ordained. And it will be from a sacred space that we will be entrusted to God’s other world beyond the grave when we die.
Every Christian community needs a sacred space in which to gather for worship and fellowship. This sacred space we usually call a church. But in calling our sacred spaces churches it is important to realise that a church is not, in fact, a building but a faith community, a community who believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
To develop a relationship with God it is not enough to gather in a church once a week with other Christians. We also need to build a practice of personal prayer into our lives. If our faith communities need sacred spaces to pray, so does each individual. John Fullenbach once said, “We cannot pray all of the time everywhere, but we must pray some of the time somewhere.” To pray sometime somewhere it is really helpful to have our own sacred space.
A sacred space is a place apart, a place free from distraction and from noise. A sacred place can be anywhere because God is everywhere. It can be in a corner of your bedroom or your living room. It can be in your conservatory or in your attic. The important thing is that it is accessible and easy to get to. In your sacred place it is helpful to have a chair that is firm but comfortable. It is also good to have a symbol or symbols of the presence of God. These may be a lighted candle or an open bible or a picture or an icon. A sacred space is your place. It is your place to be alone. A sacred space is important because the right kind of environment and atmosphere are important if we are going to spend time in personal prayer.
The gospels tell us that Jesus regularly went off by himself usually in the early morning to a lonely place to pray. Here it is helpful not to misunderstand the word lonely. It simply means a place of silence and solitude. Jesus had his sacred spaces which allowed him spend time in intimate sharing with the one he called Abba. If sacred spaces helped Jesus to pray, they will certainly help us too.