“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
The Inklings
Two of my friends and I were sitting on my back porch talking. You may know Dr. Stan Ward and John Keeling; we did this each month, late in the evening, doing our best to feel like Lewis, Tolkien and the other guy meeting at the pub in London.
This month’s topic: sacred spaces.
Do they exist? Are there some locations that are more holy than others?
I was skeptical. I didn’t think there are any places on “GoogleEarth” that were somehow filled with more Divine significance than others.
Of course, I am clearly in the minority.
Consider, if you will, Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. On and around this hill, thousands have died – many more than happy to do it – making the claim that this site was extra-holy for the purposes of their faith.
Thousands of years ago, King David claimed this city as his capitol and his son built a temple on this hilltop. Long before that, Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac (or Ishmael, according to Islam) before God made the spot sacred by providing a sacrifice. Later, as Herod was transforming it into one of the greatest architectural feats of all time, Christians would point to the work of Jesus on the same hill – tossing out cheats and facing the temptation of Satan, to name a couple. Later, Islam made the claim that Mohammad ascended into Heaven from a rock on this hill.
Are areas of Mecca, The Sistine Chapel, or the Parthenon somehow special as compared to other locations?
No, I don’t mean special, I mean sacred. Is somehow God nearer to us when we are in these places and paid the entry fees?
Honestly, I still don’t think so. I cannot see how they could be.
I think God, His Word and His people are sacred. It is the person of God or human that makes something Holy. What made the Temple Mt sacred was the presence of God in a special way, not the longitude or latitude.
Consider Peter’s words:
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. I Peter 2:4-5
I still basically agree with this view. Eternal persons lend Holiness to a location, not the other way around.
However, after us three Pseudo-Inklings met, I think I was able to accept something close to this:
Each of us – maybe everyone – have certain places on the planet that draw us, us in particular, into a more clear awareness of Truth. Maybe just the truth of the miracle of life… Perhaps the truth that man is sacred in God’s eyes.
We find ourselves in a state of having the barriers, business and noise that distract us from God, stilled. They get still. We get still. And, as the choirmaster noted in the 46th Psalm, sometimes when we are still, we know God.
Notice that most places are trying to rev us up – garish colors, pulsing lights, things to do and fix and buy, buy, buy. Very few places invite us to (should I say challenge us?) to be still.
As the campus pastor at FBC Tyler’s South Campus, that is something we aim for. We minimize any signs that say “no” or “don’t” since those can clutter up the landscape that we want free of barriers, for example. We desire that people drive in and experience a sigh of tranquility… of being stilled a little.
For me, there are some places that draw me in this way, and I am not stilled easily. Arbel Mountain in Galilee, where Jesus probably spent all night praying for His followers has this effect one me. It connects me to my Savior; it is high in altitude (that helps me); it overlooks water (always a plus, too). The pond near my house, surrounded by fruit trees is another. Being in The Garden with my wife has a similar effect. The Children’s Park in Tyler north of the loop on the east side of 69 is another.
The Apostle Paul clarifies that we, in fact, are the Temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 6:19) and that there are many ramifications of God’s followers being His Holy space now.
So, my theology now is that it is our relationship with God – or rather His with us – that makes a space sacred. If there is a space that can still you – rest you – then may I recommend you settle in there. You are certainly invited to the FBC South campus anytime and walk, rest, fish, or wander if you can find stillness there, but wherever it is, I will end where we began, with God’s instruction:
“Be still, and know that I am God.”