next-wave > church & culture: Sacred Space by Brian Orme

Is there anything more sacred about a church building than there is about the tavern down the street? I don't think so; hear me out. I think sacred space is something moving in conjunction with our hearts and our bodies. I believe that someone who has Christ living in them is more sacred than the elegant church cathedrals in Aberdeen, more holy than the holy land, more sanctified than the latent church structures in a hundred cities. What makes something sacred: the very presence of God. Just like Moses, who was asked to take his sandals off because he was stepping into the presence of the Holy God. The beauty of God's plan is that he now dwells within the hearts of people.

There is a notion that is prevalent today that tells us that church buildings are holy ground. Since this is true for so many - we are asked to change the way we dress, and the way we conduct ourselves while we are within the church walls. Many scholars would say that this view comes from the institution of Christendom by Constantine. When Constantine made Christianity the official religion the church developed into an institution; the time of persecution was over and the church enjoyed a time of importance in society and here we are hundreds of years later with holy buildings and professional pastors.
We even allocate our church meetings to the more reverenced rooms. I have a friend that has been a pastor for many years that told me a story from his past. He was asked to conduct the ceremony for a young couple in the church, but the girl had become pregnant before the wedding day. In view of the circumstances my friend told them that he would do the ceremony but he would not conduct it in the sanctuary, it would have to be done in another room. My friend was upset to think that he ever had this perspective. Why would we ever place a building before the repentant person, as if the building would cry out in protest?

Why do people even want to get married in church buildings anyway? For many it’s because they see the church building as a place that will provide a sacred space for their ceremony. There are couples that come from our local community that want to have their wedding in our sanctuary even though they have no connection with our church; tradition tells them that the church will make their wedding holy. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with having a wedding in a church, for many it symbolically represents what they hold dear, but when we look to the actual building to find the sacred we are missing the point. I love the fact that I don't have to rely on a building to immerse myself in something sacred. The sacred space is within me where God dwells, where my spirit lives, where my body breathes.

There is a church in L.A. that meets in a nightclub. During the week everything that goes on in the actual building is worldly, the pastor tells stories about cleaning up vomit before the morning service, there is nothing sacred about that; but on the weekends the people of God invade that space and it becomes sacred. It isn't sacred because of the building but because God’s people come together in that building. I believe that my living room becomes sacred when others from our church community come together in it.

Still, today there are so many cathedrals and opulent places of worship that we conclude are holy, sacred space, as if God still dwelt in a building and not in hearts. The wildness of God never wanted a building; that was man's idea. God's plan was to find the sacred space within the hearts of men and women. The truly sacred can only be something that God designs, something in his image, something beautiful.

I think we all should get an unsettled feeling when we point to buildings as sacred and not to our own lives. God's plan, his wonderful mystery, is revealed in his life within us, those who call him Lord. No longer do we look to the external for the sacred, we look no further than our own hearts. The command to be holy, to be set apart, was never asked of a building, it is only asked of those who would follow Jesus Christ. We are his sacred space.

(Brian Orme is a pastor and writer in Ohio with his wife, Jenna, and three boys. You can contact him at www.brianorme.com)

I can't even begin to explain what a blessing it was reading your article. What prompted my search was creating a name for a business ("Sacred Space") but wanting to see if it was already used (and it is!). Coming across your April 2005 article - AWESOME! God's voice is undoubtedly shining through every word to bring truth, authenticity, and heart to His people!

Blessings from WI
--Andrea ( abskurr1 at yahoo dot com ) on 4/10/2005; 12:32:51 PM

God never asked the building or the bush to be holy, he deemed them holy by his command and presence; these places where a shadow of what was to come. Our hearts on the other hand are commanded "To be" and "To continue" to live with the sacred Spirit of God. Great Comments Mike.
--Brian Orme ( brian dot orme at communitychurchinfo dot com ) on 11/9/2004; 12:34:06 PM

The burning bush in the wilderness was a sacred place - God said so. Mount Sinai was a sacred place - God said so. The Tabernacle was a sacred place - God said so. The Temple was a sacred place - God said so. All of these places were made sacred by God's presence, not man's choice. They were places where God chose to meet with His created children. Where does God meet with us today? The Samaritan woman at the well asked Jesus if God met with people on her mountain or in Jerusalem. He replied that God was moving past the paradigm of sacred ground to the paradigm of Spirit. God meets with us where He has sent His Spirit - our hearts. The Spirit that unites our hearts into a church community creates a sacred, living temple where God meets man. The building is just a marginally-necessary evil.

Mike B.
--Michael Bishop ( tritones at juno dot com ) on 11/9/2004; 9:40:29 AM

agreed ;o)
--Dan ( dcarlson at ibctc dot org ) on 10/23/2004; 11:42:39 PM

Dan
Thanks for your comments. The picture of the Old Testament Tabernacle/Temple was a holy and sacred place - but I believe it was a shadow of the work that God was to do in us, that is part of the mystery revealed. Sometimes people transpose the Temple sacredness onto a church buidling instead of lives of people. I do believe that a church can have great significance in meaning and representation - but we are to keep ourselves sacred above any buidling or geographic place. We don't want to miss the point by looking at the exterior at the cost of the interior (heart). We may be saying close to the same thing...
--Brian Orme ( brian dot orme at communitychurchinfo dot com ) on 10/16/2004; 10:05:03 PM

Maybe it is just me but I assumed those who took great care in creating a "sacred place" understood these things. The place in which the church gathers for worship is a significant place not because of what it is in and of itself but because of what happens there. The body of Christ comes together. Some would go as far as saying the physical presence of Christ in our world has come together for a signicant time of worship. The enviroment or "sacred space" that is created does not take away from the truly amazing work that God does in each persons heart but magnifies it. Everything about our lives should in some way give testimony to the things you are talking about. I suppose if it your concerns are true and that some are considering the church building to be truly sacred as opposed to the personal work of Christ in a sinner, we should have concern. I think we are just not understanding each other's point. Oh, another thought. Look at the description of the temple in the OT. What a "sacred place", in fact a "holy" place. Did God not dwell outside of the curtains and tabernacle walls like He did inside? Just a thought to ponder...
--Dan ( dcarlson at ibctc dot org ) on 10/15/2004; 10:09:46 PM

Print-friendly version of this page
Mail this article