Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Holding Sacred
Matt Anderson commented recently preserving the sacred is why profanity matters. Interesting pull from a discussion of the sacred. His comment is that is is the sacred that makes profanity profane.
Have to agree, and I think such broadens the definition of profanity quite a bit. Anything that robs the sacred space of its sacredness is profanity. What does this say about watching Hollywood release DVD's in the multi-purpose "sanctuary?" Can a multi-purpose space even be sacred?
Anderson bemoans his generation's lack of appreciation for the sacred.
Profaning the sacred sends God away from us. He is harder to access because we cannot find the proper mindset. God does not need sacred spaces - WE DO. He made them for us. Think about it.
Have to agree, and I think such broadens the definition of profanity quite a bit. Anything that robs the sacred space of its sacredness is profanity. What does this say about watching Hollywood release DVD's in the multi-purpose "sanctuary?" Can a multi-purpose space even be sacred?
Anderson bemoans his generation's lack of appreciation for the sacred.
Sacred space, sacred speech, sacred behavior–our emphasis on intentionality and the universalizing aspect of the Holy Spirit’s presence make adopting such categories…difficult. ”Don’t judge the heart, which is the important part. I can worship God anywhere. Don’t limit him to a building. There’s nothing intrinsic to the words themselves.” Focus too much on externals, and someone will accuse you of adding law to the Gospel–without acknowledging the possibility that as humans, we are changed not only from the inside out, but from the outside in. [emphasis added]I am mindful of my last visit to Westminster in London. The Anglican priests that serve that Abbey devotedly pray every hour with throngs of tourists checking out the graves. The crowd carries on as if nothing was happening. I grew increasingly angry as I stood still, head bowed, attempting to join them in prayer, and was jostled, shoved and otherwise treated as an obstacle to the throng.
Profaning the sacred sends God away from us. He is harder to access because we cannot find the proper mindset. God does not need sacred spaces - WE DO. He made them for us. Think about it.
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