Holy Week Monday Reflection - More than just a smell

The Perfume of Mary - Worship in Action

This reflection encourages you to use the smell of a perfume or aftershave as a prop.  

Reading: John 12:1-11

Reflection:

The time is drawing near and as the man with the sandwich board reminds the passing shoppers - ‘the end is nigh’.  And where does the hurting and the condemned man go but to friends? A safe haven when the world becomes dark and heavy with tension.  Yet nowhere is truly safe, but perhaps for a wee while there is illusion of normalcy as friends gather around the table. A celebration of life and yet also a wake, a purvey, a last supper of sorts.  

Lazarus who was in the grave sits with the man who faces the grave. A little scared, joyful, grateful yet uncertain.  Martha once again is scurrying about going from kitchen to table to kitchen, feeding the menfolk.  The conversation is scattered and rambling and no one feels truly at peace as they recline to eat - the normal eating posture, with their feet stretched out at some distance from their heads.  Conversations peppered with fear as the hunt is on for Jesus and even Lazarus because he is an anomaly upsetting the carefully balanced relationship between Rome and Jerusalem.  

Suddenly, the air is filled with a sweet sweet smell.  Its fragrance catches the attention of the room and all look for its source.    It is the smell of passion, of romance, of wealth yet is it out of place, indeed unexpected.

Breathe deep of the scent before you (carefully).  How evocative is the smell?  How out of place is it at this moment in time?  What does the smell awaken within?  How do you react to it?

Push the push button here as ponder the reactions the smell evokes at the time, and in you.  

The pure nard, worth a year’s wages, imported from India where the best nard comes from drips from the feet of Jesus as Mary resumes her favourite location - at his feet.  Kings are anointed on their heads, the dead are anointed from their feet up.  As the shock settles in the room, Martha gazes in wonder at the actions of her sister, part enthralled, part holding her breath in fear.  

Mary, meanwhile, is lost in her worship of Jesus and unaware of the drama unfolding around her.  Her hair falls around her shoulders, her tresses unwound only for her husband and or as a distraction in grief, fall over his feet and she wipes up the perfume with her hair.  Touching yet not touching him.  It is unashamed love spilling out from her very centre, as she worships him, and yet prophetically speaks of his death and burial. What she does is announce that he is the Messiah, son of the living God, just as Peter had done in words previously. Actions speak louder than words perhaps, for she truly committed to the action of worship. 

When was the last time you worshipped Jesus with unashamed love and abandonment?  Where you defied the social norms and danced like no one was watching, sang like no one was listening, wept like no one could see the mess, laughed in holy joy til your sides split, gave your very best without counting the cost...

Perhaps pause for a moment and consider that moment that comes to mind, or consider what that moment might look like for you?  I’m a dancer for God - not talented but as the music washes over me that’s my honest moment of worship, my connection point. 

Storming into the moment comes the harsh words of Judas, breaking, indeed shattering the silence as the room lets go of its breath.  Again Mary is in the spotlight and called out for her behaviour, and again the Lord defends her.  This time she is not just lazy, she is wasteful, a thoughtless woman through and through.  But not to God. 

To God she is amazing. She is insightful.  She is faith-filled.  She is generous. She sees the eternal not just the present.  She worshipped in love, with extravagance, with passion, and even after Jesus left for Jerusalem the smell lingers in the air, causing her to pray and worship some more.  As for the others in the room - where they inspired, blessed, anxious, or with hindsight able to praise her for her worship? How might they have felt at the time or afterwards?

For how long the smell carries with Jesus we know not but if you have quality perfume you will know the scent lasts, clinging to skin and fabric.  The smell for Jesus evokes feelings of love, of faithfulness, of worship, of hope.  Perhaps he was further emboldened that even the people who had followed Jesus and disciples to Bethany didn’t report the presence of Jesus to the authorities.  In amongst the tension, the impending death sentence Jesus knew was coming, there is a moment of beauty that encourages and strengthens him for the road ahead. As flashes of the scent caught him time and time again - did that love shown, remind him that his Father loved him dearly also?

As we worship God, as we bring prayers of gratitude, as we look for his blessings on our lives and the lives of those we know, we too are encouraged and strengthen for the road ahead.  Pray for the strength to face our foes not with condemnation but with love.  Pray that we would never put down another for extravagant worship - just because we don’t get it. Pray that God’s church, especially where we have stripped it to its bare components would become extravagant and fulsome again, that the love we readily show ourselves and our families would be evident in our faith as well.  

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, 

As we read about Mary and her expensive nard we are inspired and afraid at the same time. You truly are worthy of all worship and praise.  And Lord we do bow before you in humble adoration.  We are without a doubt blessed because of you and your sacrificial love. 

And yet we know that too often we are reluctant to be extravagant in our worship. We keep our hands in our pockets, we keep our feet firmly planted and years of conditioning allow us just to clap our hands.  Lord, we are so afraid to let go and truly worship for fear of embarrassment or making a fool of ourselves.  Yet Lord, those moments when we sing out our hearts, when our bodies move to the rhythm without care for style or shape, when our hands rise above our heads, when our generosity to you blesses those around us, you are worshipped.  Occasionally Lord help us be extravagant and to worship you like no one but you is present. 

May we be insightful this week, that we might embrace the pain and the sorrow, that when joy comes we truly rejoice again at the empty tomb.  May we be honest that we know that we should be willing to give our all no matter the cost, because your generosity and love is without limit in return.  May we be gentle with those we don’t understand and know that you welcome us all whether we are faith filled or feeling lost on the edges.  Lord, help us look for your light and come into your holy presence forgiven and loved. May we love and worship in return without fear or constraints.  In your name we pray.  Amen.  

Blessing

God loves you so very much. 

May the sweet smell of God’s presence 

Touch your soul, heal your brokenness and restore your heart and mind. 

And the blessing of God almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon you and remain with you now and forevermore.  Amen

Identity Crisis! The Surprising Cure

 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.  Hebrews 4:9-10

Sometimes life just has a way of crushing you and you don’t even realise it until the burden is lifted - even just a little.  Don’t worry this isn’t one of those moan fests though sometimes you need one of those too. I guess it is just some observations from an optimistic idealist who is apparently too nice for her own good, a diplomat but occasionally fiery and fierce!  However, I also believe that I have a responsibility to share the hard stuff as well because all too often its the ‘perfect’ image that we share.  Mental health is too important and confession is good for the soul. 

Last week I got to the point of ‘I can’t be bothered’. I just couldn’t summon up the desire to write a service never mind record one. I didn’t feel like a minister, just worn out and blue.  I contemplated using the material being provided nationally (which is excellent) but I knew I was just being lazy because I can provide worship.  Eventually I did get it done and it was fine, because of Himself.  But it was my line in the sand.  I knew I had to take some quality down time.  

I took the weekend off. Did nothing on the Saturday that counted as work or housework. Deliberately. With family or alone; I baked cakes, I watched a movie, I finished a novel, I went for a long run (7 miles for me is a long run!), I played a card game with all the family - I did all the things I wanted to do.  Productive but not stressed.  Sunday did some pottering in the house but kept it chilled.  I ate food without counting calories.  And I made Monday 1st February my refresh day.  

Monday I wrote in my journal for the first time in far too long, I read God’s word without it being work related, I listened to a ten minute piece of meditative music in prayer, and  I pushed the reset button.  Tuesday morning the pressures of home and school and work came barrelling back down on me but in a moment of clarity I pushed back.  Out loud I heard myself say:

I am a minister and I want to get back to ministering.

And it felt good.  Really good.  

It was like claiming my identity back.  I have been really struck by the lectionary reading and my personal reading how folks struggled with Jesus being ‘from’ Galilee.  Or Philip asking if ‘anything good can come from Nazareth’? Jesus it seemed faced identity issues as well but he always knew who he was and where his true identity lay.  I have been struggling with mine.  

Being a mum and wife have never been under threat although adding teacher to mum has been gruelling, but my identity as a minister has certainly been eroded through the lockdowns and then starting in a new church where I have met about 15 people in person!  I realised how low I had got and how tough the last three months had been. Moving house and charge plus COVID and home schooling. It has been super tough for all and I know how fortunate I am.    

I share this not for pity but to encourage anyone feeling low - you are not alone. I know my life hasn’t magically improved but I feel more able to continue to move forward. Private time with God and  proper rest days at home that includes your version of fun are so important. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Hang in there!!!  Finding my identity again as a loved child of God, even a wayward one, has really helped put everything else in perspective.  Still going to be ups and downs but that is life.  And teachers - you are beyond awesome! 

Take it all to God in prayer, do something fun no matter how small and know that you are loved by God, even if you are feeling somewhat distant from him.  He hasn’t left you, but would love it if you stopped by if you have been somewhat absent. Trust me!

But I will sing about your strength; every morning I will sing aloud of your constant love. You have been a refuge for me, a shelter in my time of trouble. Psalm 59:16

Every blessing

Love Sarah 

Expecting the Unexpected - Preaching the Nonsense

 This is an edited version of the sermon preached at the Setting Apart Service for Bill Henderson (13/10/2020)

Scripture Readings included Luke 6:24-34 and 1 Corinthians 2:6-18. 

Sermon:  Expect the unexpected 

Without a doubt 2020 has been the year of the unexpected.    In the run up to this year plenty companies and institutions have played about with the visual aspects of 2020.  Ministries Council way back talked about having 2020 vision - where did we see the Church, indeed ministry being in the year 2020?  It was something to work towards over about 6 years, although being disbanded wasn’t on the cards!  And then

2020 arrived with a hint of trouble on the horizon which by March had become the entire skyline.  Church buildings closed and worship services took on a whole new shape.  Like the Israelites in exile we learnt how to sing new songs (or not), and like the Israelites in exile we pray to go home. 

We listen to the experts and pray for the willingness to embrace this new normal whilst pinning for what we had despite the fact that included the hard work of making bricks without hay, which in modern parlance was trying to get everything done without the time or the resources to hand, and therefore never finishing.  With notable exceptions most people don’t thrive during unsettled times.  Even as adults we can be homesick, missing the simplicity of childhood.  Sometimes we just have to admit nothing makes sense. 

And in that moment of accepting that fact we are open to so much.  In that moment we step back and we throw open the door of possibilities.  We relinquish control, we admit we don’t have the answers and we stop trying.  In that moment we find freedom and space - the trick is to not panic but just take a breath.  

As preachers we have to do that all the time.  We have to read God’s word and we are charged with proclaiming it to others.  And therefore we are supposed to be able to make sense of it.  Absolutely.  We study, we analyse, if we are linguistically gifted we can read the Hebrew and the Greek and parse to our hearts content.  But sometimes we need to stop and admit that the message is nonsensical.  

Before I get fired - hang in there.  Think about the reading tonight - woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort or love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Seriously people.  Of course I can preach how awesome this message is and you will have heard sermon upon sermon teaching you this.  But as preachers we have to look deeper than the surface - this message clashes with the expected message.  It did at the time and it does today.  But if we just accept it as it is written we miss the power, the drive, the wisdom behind the message. 

Paul writes in the Corinthians passage we had earlier about wisdom - God’s wisdom.  

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.  No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

The message of God is not some trite meme we post on Facebook or platitudes for the hurting or a weapon to crush the other.  The message of God is powerful and challenging.  It is a call to live like Christ in this world today.  It is a call to stop looking at our own comfort whilst offering from what we have left over.  Jesus said ‘even the birds of the air have nests and foxes have holes, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’.  He knew what it was to be misunderstood by his family who thought he was mad, or to be run out of town.  The message of love we preach includes death on a cross and the message of eternal life includes resurrection. 

The message of God is secure - it is his message and tonight’s readings leaves us with no room for compromise. We are not just called to worship God but to live lives that reflect the height and depth of his love for his people and for his world.  After all, not a single person here tonight, in this building or sharing through technology has done a single thing to deserve God’s favour.  Whether you have followed all of God’s commands since you were a child or fell out the gutter - you are equally welcome in God’s kingdom.  And that doesn’t make sense and yet makes perfect sense. 

We will never talk people into the kingdom of heaven - even the most crafted sermon will not do that.  A great sermon, however simply given, will niggle, will plant seeds of discontent and make the hearer wonder if there is something more.  And it will be seeing Christians throughout the church loving others more than their bank balance, loving enemies, blessing those who hurt and curse, and willing to hang out where Jesus is - with tax collectors and prostitutes, with the misunderstood, the excluded and the feared that will show the true wisdom of God. Every day, each and everyone of us can preach God’s message. The question that we all have to ask ourselves - ‘Am I preaching God’s message or my message?’  Just remember when you think you have God figured out - expect the unexpected. 

How deep are the wealth and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!  How inscrutable his judgements, how in searchable his ways! 

From God and through God and for God all things exist - to him be the glory for ever! Amen (Romans 11:33,36)

Congratulations Bill and welcome to the Readership of the Church of Scotland

The Sledgehammer of Grief

 I was floored today, literally on my knees in tears, grief stricken.  Those of you who know me well know that I don’t crack much.  I don’t cry at movies - well very occasionally but don’t tell Emma - she thinks I’m a hard-hearted.... :) ! And yes sometimes my emotions do get the better of me.  It’s not that I am against emotions but over the years, from an early age, I have always internalised my emotions.  I drove my mother up the wall because she could never read me as a child.  And like many who internalise emotions when the dam bursts it is usually breaks with style.  Temper tantrums are fireworks and like fireworks disappear just as quickly.  Grief is pushed into its compartment - and in my role much of my grief is not mine to own.  And with some exceptions I have managed to contain it. 

But sometimes the dam bursts, the tears fall and the grief wells up.  Today, I took the service of Margaret. A wonderful lady who I loved more than I knew.  She was a regular, a smiler, a kind person you’d be proud to call Gran. I just never realised what I had til today.  Ministry is such a blessing and I believe it is about relationships.  We are brothers and sisters in Christ - Hebrews 2 reminds us what Jesus did and how he calls us brothers and sisters.  We are family and we all know (with the exceptions) that families are hard work.  There are the easy to love, the hard to love, the rascals and the gems, but they are family.  And often I cast my eye around the congregation and miss people - those who have died and those who have left.  Like all families we miss our loved ones.  

Today, the reality of the last 6 months hit me like a sledgehammer.  Margaret’s sudden death just made the point that we can’t go back, we can only go forward.  Seeing her smiling face on her order of service broke any last hope of returning to that hall with coffee and cake and the vibrant thrum of conversation.  And you know it is that picture of the hall with everyone in it that sits with me -more than the worship in the Sanctuary and you all know how important that is to me.  That hall with ceilidh dances or Santa on his big chair, the coffee mornings or the Leisure Group and Guild talks and tables.  

I share this not because I want to make you sad but to say I get it.  Yes I know I keep looking forward, and we have to move forward.  But we are still grieving, and today Margaret helped me own my grief.  Sometimes we need to say it out loud - this season in exile is so very hard, and wherever we end up it will be different to what we left behind.  Full of opportunities and possibilities, but we must acknowledge the loss as well.  Otherwise a dam will burst in the future and we might never truly recover. 

Sometimes you don’t know what you have until it is taken away.  So know that I miss you.  I miss the clamour of questions, the overwhelming information at the door, the hugs, and more. I will never miss the coffee and cake after the service again! And as a wise man once said to me - if you have to choose what to do with your time, choose to spend it with people! 

Church life will not the same ever again and that is going to take some getting used to.  And our Elders and Ministers will do their utmost to restore and shape something that will bless members and community alike.  Like you they carry grief too so be gentle with them.  God remains faithful, and with him we have a safe refuge.  So whether you are the prodigal child who has run away and now come looking for him - he loves you and you are welcome. Or whether you are the elder brother who stayed faithful to God all the time, feeling out of sorts, remember God loves you too.  

‘He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.’ Isaiah 40:29

Rest in peace Margaret.  And thank you for being you.  

Love Sarah 

The Time Zones of Changers. (Parable of the Workers)

 On Sunday I shared the parable of the workers in the vineyard. And I want to share a slightly different take on the passage today.  It struck me as I read it but I didn’t have the opportunity to explore it further. So bear with me as I go on this voyage of discovery...

We live in changing times. To be honest Covid-19 is just another facet of change in what has been a change of era.  Like the turning of the seasons and the falling of the leaves, change is inevitable.  We roll from crisis to crisis - whether it is Brexit or Independence in political circles, mental health replacing smallpox et al, climate issues moving from CFC gasses to critical wipeout and then this virus hits, reminiscent of the HIV/Aids ‘outbreak’ in the 80s.  I know they are different but I use to highlight how we roll from one crisis to another as well as technological development throughout the eras - iron, agricultural, industrial, gadget overload to smart tech.  Arguably human beings are not as good at managing change as our ability to produce, consume and create.  Perhaps that is why today mental health is so fragile. But we are blessed with a God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. And you know whether you are keeping up or falling behind in this new world order - God loves you. 

 

So what struck me was change thinkers like using the bell diagram (see above) and it struck me as I read the passage that this is something we could explore.  Parables have scope for this kind of interpretation. The early adopters are the first ones to get that change is here.  The 7am crew live by the notion that the early bird catches the worm.  They are always looking for the next opportunity, and will take it if offered.  They are prepared, fit and able.  They know that hard work lies ahead but believe the rewards will be worth it, even if it just a denarius.  The 10am crew are not really that far behind, but they like their morning coffee first, perhaps just taking the opportunity to do a wee bit research on social media and the like.  After all if you are going to follow someone into the vineyard you want to see if they are really grapes worth picking.  

As time passes confidence grows with those sitting on the fence.  This group are genuinely hopeful the change will work but not confident enough to commit or energised enough to do anything about it. Only once the evidence is overwhelming that the work is worth it, or that the alternative is worse will they climb down and join in.  Many of these people inhabit our workplaces and churches.  The majority of human beings are cautious and like to be sure before committing. It can be why it takes so long for anything to happen in the church...

By the time you hit the 4pm and 6pm crews you are almost arrived at the destination...late adopters they have finally come around and support the change that has occurred.  Usually they have been the most critical, convinced that the change will fail.  Some get in there just in time to reap the rewards and benefit from the ‘praise and affirmation’ of a job well done such as the 4pm crew whilst the 6pm crew arrive surreptitiously not sure if looking for failure or not.  This can make the early adopters sore although more likely it is the middle groups of 10am and 1pm take the hump at the 4pm and 6pm crews.  And whilst they are busy grumping at one another, the 7am group are already away looking for the next change or challenge.  The 7am crew rarely sit still and whether we like them or not, we need to invest in our 7am crew. 

 All of our churches have these different groups and you need them all.  It can be hard to live with each other, especially if we feel that the 6pm crew steal our thunder.  In the parable Jesus treats them all the same - they all get paid the same amount.  And this didn’t go down well either.  So often we think that if we are not the 7am crew, pushing for change we are not making it as a Christian.  Sometimes we think that if we are the 6pm crew - joining in at the last minute we are stealing something we didn’t earn, benefitting from all the hard work that went before. And the 7am crew can be quite arrogant, not understanding the difficulties that face the 1pm group on the fence or the grief that the 4pm crew carry from being burnt before. It can be easy to point the finger and blame another for the failure, the decline, the misery of the Church.  As I was reminded recently in a tv programme - when you point the finger, three point back at you.  

God loves us all equally whether we arrived early in his mission fields or turn up late in the day.  He rewards us not on merit or work done, but with his infinite grace.  Of course we can’t abuse that grace, but maybe as we rely on that grace more, we might be more supportive for all in the church, especially those who call us to change, even if we don’t get it! Maybe if we appreciated all the workers in the mission field, recognising that none of us own the land we might focus less on what separates us and more on what unites us.  Ultimately, the work will get done, God’s mission will be completed, and at the end of the day - no matter when I started, I just want to be there when the Lord speaks those immortal words;

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Now get to work! 😉😇

Peace of Christ be yours

Love Sarah 

 

Steeple Beacons - What is Church?

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:18 

What is Church?  It has been a challenging three months since the days we closed the doors of the church building.  Mothering Sunday - 22nd March 2020 the Session Clerk and I closed the doors and each wondered what would happen next.  Her frontline role gave her a perspective that was more realistic than my optimistic outlook.  She knew we were closing for months not weeks, and I wonder now at how she felt as she walked away in that knowledge.  

I live in the grounds of my church and opening my bedroom curtains each day I see the steeple stretch high into the heavens.  Church buildings were designed to dominate the landscape so that they would give glory to God, taller and grander than the buildings that surround.  As we glimpse the steeples on our way to work or to the shops we would remember and worship God. They served not just as places where the faithful gather to worship as one family, but as beacons of light into our societies.  How easily we forget God.  How quickly we dismiss Him in our busyness, in the demands of day to day living, in the prevalent need to consume, to hoard, to control. The steeples served like lighthouses guiding us back to sharing, to generosity, to letting go and letting God.  The steeples punctuating the horizon like exclamation marks point us to a higher way of living, out of the gutters of greed and selfish ambition. Now we build Towers of Babel, each one vying for that title and status.  And I wonder what they point us towards - lives of attainment and achievement, always striving and never getting there.  For there will always be another who builds a taller tower and so we go on. 

Unlike these show pieces, upon many a church steeple sits a cross reminding us that the way they point to is blessed by love, borne of partnership between God and people.  For Jesus gave his life for all, willingly and graciously to show that hell itself cannot defeat the Church, which is the Bride of Christ.  He is the cornerstone of the Church, and Peter, a human being with failure and success, with passion and a gob, is the rock upon which the Church is built.  So guess what, the church isn’t going to be perfect. Thankfully! 

But we are beacons in our world, even as the world tries to dwarf us, even silence us.  We don’t need steeples if our lives point others to God.  John reminds us that the light came into the world and the darkness could not overcome it.  Whatever happens with the church buildings, when the doors open or don’t, you are the church, I am the church, we are the church together.  Be a beacon where God has put you and give him the glory. 

And take a moment to look for the steeples and give God the glory, no matter the denomination! Pray that the light of Jesus would shine into these dark days and guide our way.  

Love Sarah 

Holy Space - A Case for Church Buildings

Holy Space - A Case for Church Buildings

Caveat: I am not advocating the opening of church buildings, or suggesting that buildings are the most important element of ‘church’. Or that we can’t be ‘church’ without a building.  Nor is the fully thought out case but I share my thinking in the hope it helps articulate something else in the ‘building’ debate.  

For as long as I can remember I have preached that God is everywhere, accessible everywhere, and that to box God into a building is unhelpful and indeed wrong.  The Bible shows us that God is found in the burning bush, the cloud, the fiery pillar, the mountain, the tent, the garden and the temple to name but a few places.  My teenage years were in the Salvation Army and we worshipped outdoors at the pier, the beach, the street on a regular basis as well as in the hall that had no architectural beauty.  Previously, I was Church of Scotland in a quaint wee church in the village of Connel which has a very beautiful stain glass window.  Then I ended up back in the Church of Scotland, mostly in typical church structures in Edinburgh and Lanarkshire.  I have preached and taught that the building is a resource not a museum.  So hear me when I say I get it.  I do understand when we talk about not needing so many churches, about well-equipped spaces, about churches in the right places.  Lord, I would love a well-equipped space.  Churches are often the least welcoming structures on the planet. 

But I believe in church buildings.  There I have said it.  There is something incredibly significant about church buildings.  It isn’t the history.  Blantyre Old has had a church building on this site for 453 years, currently on our third building which is about 157 years old. And the most beautiful reason to celebrate this achievement is that 453 years the congregation heard the Word of God read in the common tongue for the first time as they gathered for worship.  The Church became a place for the people to gather in worship, to hear and to share together in Holy Communion, brought together for a common purpose.  For the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. 

It isn’t the architecture or aesthetics.  A church is a church for me.  I judge a building by the state of its toilets! Mind you I will never forget the young man who sat in the back row of my first Christmas Eve Watchnight service in my first charge.  By now the majority of people had left and he was there still.  Speaking with him he said “Pink, why on earth did you paint it pink?” and I had to admit I had wondered that myself.  The Church used to blue before I arrived, and he was mourning it.  Suddenly he said “there is no way I am having my Dad’s funeral in a pink church.” And he left!   I have visited many cathedrals and churches in my time, and unlike, for many people, they don’t evoke a spiritual moment.  Yet for some they absolutely do, and I am amazed by the architecture and achievements of stonemasons and others and praise God for their gifts. 

So I always believed that I lived lightly with the idea of ‘church as building’, happily promoting that the church is the body of Christ, the people - and I still wholeheartedly believe that.  But all the conversations about church buildings is causing me some level of discomfort.  We think buildings are unimportant, merely a resource or a burden.  And prior to 2018 I think I would have readily joined in those conversations. Now I am on a different journey.

I have to come to the conclusion there is such a thing as holy space.  Yes, I know holy space is ‘everywhere’.  Two years ago a local ‘boy band’ filmed a cult video in the church, which included the simulated murder of a young lady on the chancel.  (The damage of that event is a story for another day and was filmed without permission.)  What that event did was challenge all my deeply held beliefs about sanctuary and holy space.  The building remains a building yet what the space represents is beyond definition.  As the minister I took the events incredibly personally and I had to work out why it affected me so badly.  Some of my reflections lead me to believe that we underestimate the value of the space within church buildings.  

Church allows us a different space to inhabit for a time.  A sanctuary away from the busyness of life, a place to be restored, to be refreshed, to be encouraged and to be empowered. Gathering allows us to celebrate God’s goodness, share our common story of faith and be sent out.  Someone commented on Twitter that we don’t need to open the churches for prayer because we can pray at home.  There are many things we don’t need buildings for - money we saved on gym fees could easily give us a home gym, we don’t need to eat out in restaurants or queue at McDonalds for a burger but we do.  Feedback I get on a regular basis from visitors and members to Blantyre Old is that it is a peaceful place.  The very atmosphere is tangible, calming even the most distressed.  I have had people so affected by it at funerals and weddings that even though they would never call themselves religious, they want to come back just to be in the space.

Church is a safe space (it should be).  A place where we come together without judgement or fear, knowing that we are all sinners, yet God welcomes us with open arms.  Church is, perhaps, the last gathering space where there are no criteria or waiting lists.  All are welcome, and yes that brings its own challenges.  When the young men filmed they made it impossible for the young lady to escape, and therefore showed the space as unsafe.  That was heartbreaking.  Therefore, church is a safe place in a world where there is often no safety. 

Church is about relationships, about people, about community.  We laugh, joke and moan about people and their seats.   Yet gazing around on a Sunday, we know who is missing.  And I don’t just mean the ones who are away on holidays, or a sports event, or unwell.  I mean the communion of saints.  I miss my saints too, seeing them especially when we sing their ‘favourite song’.  I see them and in that moment of worship we are connected with the cloud of witnesses. Gone but not forgotten.  The Jews believed that the Temple was where heaven and earth connected and when I see my saints on at worship, I know heaven is there. 

I am grateful for modern technology, and I am trying to be there online.  I am trying to be a minister to people in my parish and further afield.  I love the fact that I have been challenged to embrace it and in a way I’m sad it has taken the Church so long to embrace it. After all, the technology is not new and we have had individuals within the Church trying for years  to push us to reach out into cyberspace.  And I, for one, do want to know how to make cyberspace holy space, BUT not at the expense of losing holy space in the IRL (in real life).  

Let’s not do another reformation where we throw the baby out with the bath water.  Let us actually explore what holy space is before we destroy everything.  When I read reformation history I wept for the loss despite the gain.  Over time we have claimed back more and more, but we have also fallen back into bad habits of ‘clergy’ over ‘laity’.  I do pray for reformation and revival, and I will participate in the rationalisation of buildings.  However, I pray we don’t just see architecture and stones, burdens and bills.  I pray we see the presence of God and take our shoes off to stand on holy ground, and listen for Him first.  

God bless you! 

Love Sarah