Not a bad place to sit and write a blog, is it? Or to cogitate and meditate, which is my fancy way of saying to "think and pray." It's the sanctuary of Fort Valley Methodist Church, the congregation I'm blessed to serve as pastor.
I'm discovering that the older I get, the more I need a little time in a place set aside for contemplation and prayer. So, I sometimes plop down on an old wooden pew, get quiet, and just hang around in the presence of the Almighty. I've even found a small, lightweight table that is easy to move about and is the perfect size for a laptop, a book or a Bible, and a notepad. Now that beats a desk in an office for sermon work, any day!
I'm fully aware that God isn't really any more present in this, or any other, sanctuary than in any other space. Yet, I know certain spaces foster a heightened sense of awareness for me. Further, I focus my attention more fully on God in some places. And church sanctuaries are one of those places, especially old ones with lots of history lived in them.
Sitting on these smooth wooden pews, I think about the folks who have come before me. I wonder how many young people literally fell in love while sitting in this old sanctuary. How many had tears streaming down their cheeks as they gave their life to Jesus? How many prayed their hearts out while looking up at this picture of Jesus in the Garden?
For almost 120 years, couples have stood at this altar and pledged their love for one another. 'Til death do us part, they've said. They've brought their children to be baptized here, and then they've placed their hands on those children's shoulders as they professed their faith in Christ. Finally, this has been the room of goodbye, the place of letting go and releasing loved ones into the eternal care of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I love being in a room full of memories. Yes, I'm in the presence of God, and I'm also "surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses," as Hebrews 12:1 puts it. I wasn't the first to walk into this room, and I won't be the last. I join those witnesses even as I become one of them. Sometimes it almost feels like the Church Triumphant is sitting here with me.
God shows up in all sorts of places. I've pastored churches that met in traditional sanctuaries and fellowship halls, also in multi-purpose buildings with chairs and screens and some pretty rocking music. God was present in all of them. My first full-time appointment was to plant a brand-new congregation. We started in a skating rink - yes, you read that right - a skating rink. He showed up there, too. And likewise in the house that church worshipped in for five years before occupying a new facility.
Maybe a different style speaks to you and draws your spirit in. That's totally fine; we're all wonderfully unique, but we all still need to spend some time in sacred spaces. It's part of how our Lord restores our spirits and resets our focus. It's part of how He takes care of our souls.
Now, this quiet, old room is calling to me. Time to sit, to cogitate and meditate, maybe spend a little time with the Lord.
I always enjoy your blogs. Thanks for keeping them coming. 🙂
Thank you, Herb. I always appreciate your writings and perspectives. Being raised in a church that had a "traditional" sanctuary to having my children baptized on a yellow gym floor, God was there. I hope you and your family are doing well. Oh yeah....Go DAWGS!
Pastor Herb, I loved reading this about our, what I've always called Sanctuary. It brings back so many who have gone on to their reward, and perhaps, sometimes their minds drift back to this place and remember those of us whom they left behind. After 50 years worshiping here, I miss so many of these saints, who are now a part of the Crowd of Witnesses. One, Eloise Hunnicutt sang in the choir and one day as we were standing there before the service, I asked her, "Do you know all these people, Eloise?" She answered, "I do and someday you will too." I'm still sort of angry that she slipped off to heaven when I was out of town…
Another very good one, my Friend!