The Sacred Spaces Project

One of the ways in which rituals do their work (convey meaning, provide comfort) is through their consistency. We do the same thing in our ritual practice over and over again and our rituals shape us through that consistency. As we think about going through Holy Week in our homes I want to invite you to consider creating a sacred space in your own home where you can observe Holy Week and its rituals through the use of Holy Week: The 3 Days at Home.

At first this idea may seem strange to us; we often think of sacred spaces as removed from ourselves: our churches, places like Jerusalem or even monasteries. But most of us set up sacred spaces in our homes during Advent with and Advent Wreath and Christmas with a crèche. Indeed some of us reading this may already have spaces in our home designated to prayer and spiritual disciplines. If that is you, wonderful. I invite you to use those spaces during Holy Week this year as we observe these sacred days in our homes.

You can find many resources online for creating these spaces in your home and there are few links provided below. Think of a place in your home where you will be comfortable. If you can incorporate a table into this space, all the better. On that table find items in your home that remind you of God and the season of Lent and place them there. Some ideas could include;

• A prayer book
• A Bible
• Candles
• Icons
• A purple linen
• A Crucifix
• Items that remind you of people you want to pray for
• Items that you remind of God as a source of comfort and strength

If you have young children in the home, invite them to participate in choosing the location of the sacred space. Encourage them to find items that also remind them of God to place in that space. Below is a picture of the sacred space we have set up in our home right now. The picture above is the space my family and I created.

And now an invitation: If you do create sacred space or if you use the sacred spaces already present in your home during your Holy Week observances would you consider sharing a picture of your space with all of us? These pictures may be sent to Julie Martin at webmaster@spechurch.com. She will compile them and add to them the website so we all may have access to them. It is my hope that seeing each other’s sacred spaces will provide a source of connection for us at this time. Enjoy creating your sacred spaces. Maybe, just maybe, spaces like these and the practices they invite us into will become staples in all our homes.

Resources for Creating Sacred Space
Buildfaith.org
Making an Altar at home