Sanctuary 2

Sanctuary also can be understood as a holy place set apart for the worship of God. Yesterday was my last day of leading worship at Christ UMC. Ideally worship in a "sanctuary" is worship in a space that represents the realm of God ... both today and the anticipated new heaven and earth.

When I came to Christ UMC part of the challenge was that I did not enjoy the worship space. The stained glass windows did not inspire me. Part of the Sunday morning rhythm has been to gather with a few folks in the sanctuary for silent prayer for the morning events followed by Holy Communion. These moments of silent prayer gave me opportunity to gaze upon the rectangular swatches of colored glass. 

I realized my previous experience had often been for evening meetings which provided no sunshine to illuminate the windows. This made the sanctuary dark and uninviting.  But after a few weeks of Sunday morning prayer, I began to associate each window as an image in a kaleidoscope (an important metaphor for spiritual formation in my journey). Each week the windows were different.  I began to understand the chunks of stained glass as a person gathered to worship. Sometimes the light would shine brightly ... the yellows would stand out or a deep red or an aqua.

I began to associate the subtle changes of light through the stained glass with the presence and movement of the Holy Spirit within the life of the congregation. The Lord helped me learn how to worship in that space. I will miss the kaleiscopic shifts of light and love and grace within the people of Christ UMC along with the sanctuary in which we celebrated the grace of God in Jesus Christ.