Being There

The Practicing of Sacred Space

Looking back over nearly fifty years of sprawling suburbia and its veracious appetite for space, green, and peace, I wonder along with the characters in Jurassic Park the movie, “You scientists never ask yourself whether you should build it. You just did it!”

Had we pondered a bit more from our ancestors some of the foundational human propensities, we may have undoubtedly come up with a deep need for people to belong. This belonging is not merely existential or metaphysical. It appears to be hard wired into our very DNA. We feel more ourselves when we are a part of something, somebody and some place.

Wendell Berry has a penchant for what he calls “sacred space”. He has lived in the same small town for nearly 60 years and thus able to clearly reflect on the beauty and sanctity of that place over the long haul. Most of us would not even have a clue how that kind of longevity might impact the eyes of our hearts. To live in one place for 60 years…how could it be?

All this talk about space is really a discussion about the discovery of a common place. I currently lack that sensibility and its lack leaves a hole in my soul. As I maintained above, our ancestors seemed to get the need for a common place and they built that sense into the very architectural fabric of their communities. Now…we cocoon…and we feel isolated…and we are depressed…..and we are ashamed we are depressed….thus we isolate even more.

A few weeks back a friend in East Nashville referred to Franklin as a faux community. Part of me resented the comment but as usual my felt sense of offense told me something of the truth. Many of us have longed for a deeper sense of connection and community in the Franklin area and the proliferation of churches on every block is a metaphor for that desire to be planted in something alive and real.

Our loose knit communities have clearly articulated in the last few years or so the price of isolation. Satan loves to get us away for the herd as it were. Once we’re alone, all our brokenness and strongholds take us to places where no one individual can truly survive. We were not meant to fight these battles alone. So what about this common place? What might these characteristics look like and could this very well be what the Kingdom reign turns into the Church?

What are the characteristics of community around a common place?

1) Spontaneity

I love ritual and tradition. Communities are formed around the deep symbols to which they honor. With that being said, true communities also hold up the value of spontaneity. So much of our daily lives are lived out in the moment. Meals, serendipitous meetings after the “show,” or spur of the moment get togethers, generally reflect that this common place is more about family and relationships and less about programs and meetings. My prayer is that this family will continue to come together because they are drawn and allow the sacred moment to reveal to us the glory of our gathering. We can thank Eric B. for modeling this gift.

2) Availability

It has become so clear to me that as we grow in Christ we become more available to His bidding and to His perception of reality. I can be so self absorbed when I choose to be. Out of that space I demand that anyone entering my life do so on my schedule with my time parameters and needs preeminent in their approach. Messy friendships, time consuming encounters, and confrontational relationships are just not on my radar. I want people around me who allow me to coast, to sleep, to rest, to hide. This, of course, is not something I am aware most of the time but as I have made myself more available I am discovering the wild expressions of human personality and the shear amount of experiences I can have in a day. Just being there becomes its own blessing.

On the other hand, I do not want to feel like I am putting anyone out when I have a need. I like being available for others but shun being “needy myself.” I love to give to others. I struggle much more letting others restore me. Being the strong one is my dominant persona. There are reasons for my reticence about being “needy.” Over the years I have sensed friends who comply and help me out but drag their feet the entire time. I get the shear burdensome nature of my life on theirs. In truth, I am sure I have been that friend.

Now more than any time in my life I am allowing my day to have buffer times where I can just sit and listen and love. The simple gift of one’s presence is glorious and holy. May we allow the playful serendipity of life to bring us together and make ourselves available whenever and however God chooses? We can thank Art Dearmond for “being there” for so many of us.

3) Frequency

Once a week contrived encounters make for friendships that are strained and plastic. I cannot and do not come to the larger Church gathering with my brokenness out in the open. It is not only inappropriate, it is just not what the moment demands. However, to get to know someone is to take the time (frequency) to hear their story, sit in their home, love their children, and listen to them be childlike and silly. Scripture tells us how the early Christians met together daily. What would happen if we were intentional about meeting with one another on a daily basis? The early believers devoted themselves to teaching, breaking bread, and fellowship on a daily basis. Why? Could it be that this sense of camaraderie was so strong and vital that being together was indeed a gift and blessing rather than a burden and purposeful scheduling issue? If I hear one more person say…”Heh, let’s get together.” And not do it, I will scream. I see that now (saying, Let’s get together,” when you do not even intend to do that) as a false sense of community and a need to appear intimate when indeed there is no intention of growing together. Words mean something and the human heart is looking for belonging. Are we willing to plan or not plan for that matter, friendships into our lives? Kyle Rigsby engages in the frequency thing and many are blessed.

4) Common Meal

Was the breaking of bread together in their homes just a formality or was and is there something deeply sacred about the act of sharing food together? We all resonate around the Eucharistic meal and understand its sustenance in light of who Christ is. I wonder if we somehow ignore the communal nature of breaking bread as another manifestation of Christ’s feeding of the human soul. Have restaurants grown in popularity in recent years because this engagement is more than mere sustenance for the body but also for the soul and spirit? I and many others are a bit bluer (you have to have been there to get this one) today because of the many meals we have shared at E. Brown’s home. The Carlsons know how to through a hearty feast as well.

5) Geography

This is the hardest trait to engender as suburbia has divided people into classes by creating subdivisions that reflect financial abilities to purchases homes. That has always been the case on a certain level, but in recent years, certain areas of town are created specifically for those who see themselves as a “gated community.” Is there a point where you move to were you find the most family? Is there a time when proximity is the very thing that allows for availability and frequency? The home has become the ultimate personal choice for middle class families. Where we live says so much about us and our aspirations. What would happen if the issue of where we lived said less about our economic status and more about the friends and families through which we lived and formed life? This is happening more and more and it is impacting architecture. Shared housing and cooperative housing are now on the radar of many who desire community and a sense of common place as much as the accouterments of class, technology and leisure.

These characteristics above truly foster a sacred space or neighborhood in “days gone by” parlance. These challenges will begin to allow us to cut down on the commute, maybe even live off a single income, and finally set some boundaries around who and what we are a part of by freeing up our schedules enough to be a neighbor. Now, playing in the front yard could actually be a part of the kingdom expression and reign. Now, we are identifying our common community not only through intellectual assent and doctrinal unity but through geography, proximity and experience. This is why we need to inaugurate a radical reinventing of what we call the “CHURCH.”

Many of these ideas taken in part from book “The Connecting Church” by Randy Frazee