Sacred Places

During this pandemic, where have you found sacred space?

That’s the question a small group leader asked Tuesday in yet another on-line class. My first response was, “Nowhere! Everything’s chaotic, our home is full of people and pets and I can’t worship anymore at church” That’s the big one. Sunday morning worship at Holy Trinity is not only sacred, it’s also my happy place.

But their answers surprised me because the places named were unexpected. One person said his office had become sacred to him now--a quiet place to get away and rest, even though he’s working. Another one said her front stoop has become holy ground, where she sits regularly to greet neighbors. Prior to the pandemic she had never sat outside just to rest and commune with others. My friend told me he realized recently that his therapist’s office is sacred. Sure, he’s able to meet on-line to get the support he needs, but he misses the sacred space, both physically and emotionally, to tend and care for himself.

In today’s reading from Genesis we revisit Jacob, who has just stolen the birthright from his brother. Jacob tricked his blind father into thinking he was his older brother Esau, so Jacob got the blessing instead of the firstborn son. His brother is M.A.D. so Jacob, with his mother’s help, left their home and headed toward Haaran, the birthplace of his grandfather Abraham. When he stopped to rest for the night, God met Jacob in a dream and when he woke from sleep Jacob said, “Surely the LORD is in this place—and I did not know it! How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God”

In the part of the story we read today Jacob is alone, running away from his past and uncertain what lies before him. And it is here, at Jacob’s most vulnerable moment, that God speaks to Jacob for the first time saying, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham and the God of your father Isaac.” ‘The Lord’ (YHWH) is a new name for God, given to Jacob in the dream. The LORD goes on to give Jacob the promise that Jacob had already received from his father Isaac, the promise that was first given to Abraham--a promise of land and offspring and blessing.

And then God goes on to promise Jacob even more, “Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go…” This new promise is not tied to space but is rooted in relationship. I always thought this dream was about Jacob climbing Jacob’s ladder trying to get closer to God. But no, God comes to Jacob; stands right there at Jacob’s side and says, ‘I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.’

Immediately when Jacob wakes up, he knows the LORD is with him in this unexpected place of rest. Not only in the temple. Not only in the land promised to Abraham, but right here in this place where he rested his head on a rock. Jacob took that rock, poured oil over it, marked it as holy, and called the place Beth-el (which means the house of God.)

Jacob’s heart was opened in a dream to see God in that unexpected place. God was with him all along, but he didn’t even know it. How awesome is that?

God meets us in unexpected places too, even if we don’t recognize the presence of the Holy One among us sometimes. Some unexpected sacred places I’ve noticed the presence of God recently include:

· Morning walks that have become sacred space and time for me, especially when I see God’s love through my neighbors who are wearing masks and keeping their distance.

· At the bedside of someone hospitalized and alone, afraid for their future and holding pain from their past. I experience sacredness in their story shared with this trusted chaplain.

· My son’s baseball games. Even though they’re currently on a frustrating losing streak, I look forward to the sacred ritual of watching a game in the hot sun, seeing young men play and laugh together, with parents never giving up hope and cheering them on.

The Holy One is with us wherever we go. If only we’d open our eyes to see and hear God’s blessing in the most unexpected places and parts of our lives. Sometimes it’s just too hard to recognize God’s presence among us or to recognize ourselves as holy and beloved by God. Like Jacob we run from our past and worry about our future.

One “place” I’ve been going to recently to remind myself of God’s love and blessing isn’t a physical place at all. It’s a podcast. In April, a pastor named Nadia started a podcast called “The Confessional,” and during this sacred time she listens to their stories. At the beginning of each podcast she says, “I’m ‌Nadia‌ ‌Bolz-Weber,‌ ‌and‌ ‌you’ve‌ ‌stepped‌ ‌into‌ ‌The‌ ‌Confessional, it’s like a carwash for our shame and secrets.‌ Today, I talk to someone who...and each week it's someone different.

· Someone who tried to ignore her truth, but despite her best efforts, it showed up in her life in surprising and harmful ways.

Someone who had‌ ‌a‌ ‌“God‌ ‌hates‌ ‌fags”‌ ‌sign‌ ‌put‌ ‌in‌ ‌her‌ ‌hand‌ ‌when‌ ‌she‌ ‌was‌ ‌just‌ ‌5‌ ‌years‌ ‌old.‌ ‌Her‌ ‌family‌ ‌is‌ ‌known‌ ‌internationally‌ ‌for‌ ‌saying‌ ‌hateful‌ ‌things‌ ‌to‌ ‌people.‌ She’s come to a new understanding of God and life through someone’s compassion toward her on Twitter.
Someone who ran away at 13, got arrested, hurt everyone they loved, and yet, whose story unfolded in beautiful and surprising ways.

After each person shares their story filled with pain and searching for their own sacred places in life, Nadia gives them a blessing. And this is the part that is most meaningful to me as a listener, because I identify in some way with each person’s story and the yearning to be seen, known, loved. Nadia takes their story and writes a unique blessing for them, and as she speaks it’s as if God herself is saying “I see you; all of you and I love you anyway. I’ve never left your side.”

‘Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.” is the blessing spoken to Jacob. Even though he was someone who tricked his own father, someone who was on the run fearing for his own life, someone who was likely worried about his future, Jacob receives a never-ending promise from God saying, “I see you, all of you and I love you anyway. I’ve never left your side.”

Now I invite you to receive this blessing:

Child of God, you are seen, known and loved by the God of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob, Leah and Rachael.

The God who promised them land, offspring, and blessing, blesses you with life and love.

The LORD stands right beside you during all of life’s ups and downs. God sees you who are seeking your own spouse as Jacob did. God sees you whose physical or mental health is off balance and longing for healing. God sees you who are afraid, lonely, angry or hopeless. God knows your greatest joys and deepest pains and loves you anyway. Receive this promise, like Jacob did, from the Holy One who is with you in your dreams and in your journey to an unknown future.

May you find sacred places and times to rest in God’s presence even in the most unexpected and surprising times.