Somewhere between heaven and woolworths ........




Sacred space is both an interesting and challenging concept. A sacred space is a space set apart where the spiritual may be encountered, a place where human transformation may be experienced, indeed a place where it may be that we find ourselves wrestling with angels.

When I first walked through the Spinney that lies between the house and the road I experienced that sense that here was such a space.

A sacred space has been defined as a: "focusing lens." 

 In this sense of place or sacred space attention is focused on the forms, objects and actions that take place in it.

 So it is possible that a Church or Temple or Mosque or Gurdwara or Synagogue will be defined as a sacred space for those who follow the particular religious disciplines that define and identify particular faith communities or indeed for any member of any faith.

 Each space will carry within it religious meaning for the individual and for the community of which s/he is a member.

 But each of us in our daily life may well identify a part of the day as a sacred space or time in the business of our life.

 We may have a sacred space in our home, a particular location where we can stand for a moment and be in touch with the particular reality of our life.

 I certainly encounter the reality of sacred space whenever I walk between the house and the Church opposite, opening the door (always unlocked) and entering the space my eye is drawn to the ceiling in the Chancel which appears as the upturned hull of a boat, like the fisherman's huts on Lindisfarne, a place where we have been washed ashore, been rescued from the storm and been welcomed into a place of safety.

 A sacred space is, as George McCleod described Iona, 'a thin place' where the connection between or the access between the human world and divine reality becomes tangible. Stranded on Holy Island when the tide returns to cut the Island off from the mainland always creates a transformation, a thin place between 'heaven and woolworths' as Brian Patten once expressed it.

 As Moses was advised before the burning bush, remove your shoes because the ground on which you stand is HOLY.

 'Holy' from the Hebrew 'Cherem' meaning 'put to the ban', quite literally, set apart for God.

 So the sacred space, the woodland chapel continues to take shape and is becoming a community effort, a 'cross' consisting of a 'found' root formation is being preserved and hung for safety from the tree that stands at the western end of the space, a table is to be constructed using found stone to, a 'Bishop's Chair' has been donated constructed from natural 'greenheart' Oak, a chain-saw sculpture has been proposed and seating is being fashioned, an archway will be constructed from timber harvested in the spinney to a design by children from the Sunday School.

 A local woodland preservation/access group has expressed an interest in joining forces with us to develop and extend the access to the space and to the mystery that it represents. So the whole concept is growing 'legs', gaining traction and a life of its own as all the best ideas and projects should.

 Entering a sacred space should encourage us to reflect. 

 St Ignatius Loyola's Examen provides a useful set of prayerful prompts as we sit quietly in our space, whether it is a time of day, a place set aside or the woodland chapel.
Sitting quietly we tune our breathing into the breeze rustling through the trees as we recognise that the place we sit is Holy.

First we give thanks, for the day, for the love and support we have received, the courage we have shown, the people we have met and our experiences.

Then, we review the day asking for God's blessing on those we have met that we might come to know God and ourselves as God sees us.

As we review the day we ask where have we felt true joy, what has troubled us, what has challenged us, where did we embrace risk, where did we pause, have we felt God's presence?

As we sit within the sacred space we ask how it shapes our life and our response to God's presence:

and, finally, looking ahead we ask of ourselves what come's to mind, how will we embrace the gifts and challenges of the days ahead?

With acknowledgement  to the Centre for Mission and Identity at Xavier University. 















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