Sacred Place, Holy Ground

 

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. ³ Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” ⁴ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ⁵ Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

Exodus 3:1-5

Holy ground.  In this particular scripture, holy ground, refers to the place where God spoke directly to Moses and called him to a life that followed God’s will.  Another term for holy ground is sacred place.

Throughout Lent, we have been looking at several different sacred places in the life of Jesus.  We have returned to several of the places where God spoke to us directly through the life and ministry of Jesus and where Jesus was following the will of God.  If you have worshipped with us at Hood, you may remember some of the places we have visited:

• the wedding at Cana where the first recorded miracle occured,
• the River Jordan where Jesus was baptized,
• the pool of Bethesda where Jesus performed a miracle without being asked to an unlikely candidate.

In the week ahead we will visit the streets of Jerusalem, the setting for the Last Supper, and Golgotha.  All of these are places where God had something to say to us through the life of Christ.

“Sacred are the places that were witness to the life and works of the Savior.  Holy is the ground where Jesus traveled during His ministry of grace.  Divine are the windswept hills and the rolling plains, the valleys crisscrossed with rugged trails; those winding footpaths where the sandals of His followers kicked up the dust; eager pilgrims, hearts frenzied with faith, rejoicing in the new-breathed gospel.  

In our hearts, let us walk together the ancient roads of Nazareth and pace along the golden shores of Galilee.  Let us climb the rugged hills and trek the weathered stone streets.  Let us take solace and refuge in the quiet gardens and rest beneath the olive trees.  With pensive tread, let us walk the way of suffering and kneel in the shadow of Calvary’s cross.”

These are the words from the forward of this week’s cantata “Sacred Places.”  Composer Joseph Martin uses familiar early American tunes and new texts to help us visit the places sacred to Jesus in our mind’s eye.

What are the sacred places in your life? Where have you met God recently?

I invite you to travel this journey with us this Sunday afternoon at 4PM in our sanctuary.  Through narration, music, silence, reflection, and movement we will return to these sacred places in Jesus’ life.  Bring a friend, a neighbor, a family member.  This is a great way to bring our community into the doors of Hood Memorial Christian Church — a sacred place and holy ground for many in our community.