The Sacred on the Street Devotion One: Sanctuary

This is the first of the Lenten Meditations by Deb Murphy based on her exhibit, “The Sacred on the Street.”  This week’s Devotion is “Sanctuary.” You can download this devotion by going here.

“Thin places” are those places and spaces where we encounter God, the Divine, the Holy. The domed church in the photo on the left has a sanctuary built specifically as a place to encounter God.

Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD.
1 Chronicles 22:19

Historically, churches – buildings that have sanctuaries – also became places of sanctuary, of refuge and safety. In today’s world, the organization People Serving People provides a place of sanctuary for families in crisis. This place of “Sacred on the Street” is also a thin place…a place to encounter the love and care of the Divine.
Some questions to ponder:

• As we go about our day-to-day lives outside of the physical sanctuary of the church, do we see other places of sanctuary?

• Do we see a need for sanctuary someplace where it doesn’t exist? How do we offer it?

• Can we be a ‘place of sanctuary’ for others? In what ways?

• When is it that we ourselves need sanctuary? Where do we seek it?

O Divine One,
We come together to encounter, worship, praise and thank you for all your love and care of us. Help us to encounter You outside of the sanctuary of this building, to see the sacred around us, and to let ourselves be a source of sanctuary to the people in our lives. May we constantly and consistently show your love to a world that so desperately needs it. Amen.

Tags: lenten devotional

Category: lenten devotional