Sunday was my birthday and I decided that it was time to rearrange the sacred space in which I sit each morning to reflect, meditate and study the scriptures. The Christmas season is well past so I have put away my nativity sets and Advent icons but Lent is still a few weeks away and for some reason the season of epiphany just does not have the symbols I wanted to help me focus. To be honest I struggled a little with what to use as the focal point for this season and for a while wondered if I should bother at all. Then I realized, for me birthdays are a time for remembering and I decided my sacred space needed to reflect that.
As you can see I ended up with a fairly eclectic collection of items – a family photo, a new orchid we bought for my birthday, a couple of the rocks I have painted as meditation exercises and some of my rock and shell collection, what I call my gathered memories. Then I added a cross made for me by a young friend a few years ago and some of the objects I have collected from mission organizations I have been involved in. Last I added a candle to light my way each morning.
In Numbers 15:38-40 God talks to the Israelites about the importance of remembering, and like me, the Israelites needed objects to help them remember.
“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.
So over the next few weeks I will bask in the memories of friends and family, of gathered things and good deeds done.
Any space can be made into a sacred space, it just takes a little time and intentionality. It takes time to reflect on what is important to both us and God. It takes intentionality to review what we sense God is saying and work to bring it into being. And it takes intentionality to stick with what we set up and use it in the ways we feel God is directing us.
What helps you remember the special people and special events in your life? When was the last time you set aside space and time to remember and thank God for these people and events?