Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series on the concept of sacred space and practice.

We have all heard the question, “Which came first: the chicken or the egg?” We likely use that colloquialism in other contexts as well to discuss the dilemma of causality, what leads to what? There is one version of this question that I love to engage folks in conversation around when it comes to the physical places where people of faith gather for their common spiritual practices. It goes, “Is it holy words that make holy places, or is it holy places that make words spoken there holy? To ask it a different way: Is a place holy because by its nature it is holy, or is it holy because the actions performed there are holy? The concepts of place, placeness, space, or sacred spaces are topics that have been of academic interest to me for some time. Not only do I read, write, and think about these ideas formally, but I also think about them practically. Every week in fact. Much of my job as a local church pastor centers around the many plans and practices pertaining to the weekly gatherings of those in our faith community. Gatherings that happen in a specific location at a designated time. If you are a person of faith or you engage in some form of spirituality, you too engage in the ideas of placeness or sacred space-making and may not even realize it.

For example, if you commute to a specific building for worship each week, then you have invariably identified a specific place as central to your understanding and practice of your spiritual beliefs. If you seek a quiet spot in your home or at the park where you can pray, meditate, or reflect, then you are being intentional in “place-making” by putting yourself in a position or location where you can partake in this holy act. You are participating in the concept of “placeness” whenever you purposefully locate yourself in an environment, context, or location and you are cognizant of your presence within that context. In the book “Spaces for the Sacred: Place, Memory, and Identity”, religious historian and theologian Philip Sheldrake writes, “The concept of place refers not simply to geographical location but to a dialectical relationship between environment and human narrative. Place is space that has the capacity to be remembered and to evoke what is most precious” (2001, p.1). Since a place has this kind of influence on us, then it would behoove us all to consider where we are and what is unique and special regarding our environments in order to begin to better understand ourselves and our relation to others. So thinking about this concept of place-making, I return to our question introduced earlier. Which comes first? To put this into perspective, I bring to our collective minds the story found in Exodus 3 of Moses encountering God within the burning bush. At one point in the conversation, God instructs Moses to remove his sandals for he was standing on holy ground (Ex. 3:5). This occurred after Moses had already entered the spot where the bush was burning, and after he had a brief back and forth with the Lord. After removing his sandals, Moses has to cover his face because he is overwhelmed by the presence of God. So the question for you to consider is this; “At what point did this spot become holy ground?” Was it when the bush became engulfed in flame? Was it when Moses saw the bush burning? Was it when Moses entered the vicinity, when God spoke to him, or when he removed his sandals? Was it when God entered the bush (which leads to more fun theological tiffs regarding God’s presence which we will return to in a future article)?

Whatever answer you arrive at, in reading this passage we can all see that this place, with whatever boundary of beginning and ending we ascribe to it, is a holy one. It is a sacred space because the human participant (Moses) and the human observer (us dear readers), recognize that a sacred meeting has occurred where the Divine has broken in to engage the profane.

In the New Testament book of James, we find this powerful reminder, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you” (James 4:8). What are the places in your life where you have come close to God? What are the places in your everyday life that might become places where you inch closer to the Divine if you would but only deepen your recognition of its potentiality? Where are the areas of your life where you are being invited to experience the Holy in new and deeper ways? May each of us become more aware of the places where we can move ever closer to true love, grace, and mercy. I know that’s a place I’d certainly love to find myself.