Only being new to full-time local church based ministry, I have come to learn of the premium import that ‘space’ is, in the busy-ness (certainly not business, in our societies way of understanding that word) of ministering alongside a community of sojourners. What appealed to me initially about this retreat was its frame, “Finding Sacred Space” because finding the odd bit of space here and there in a busy week for God is doable – morning prayers and study, chinks of times prayers throughout the day, Chris Tomlin via i-Tunes, but not all those spaces maintain their sacredity[new word] amidst the phone calls, emails and cups of tea. After a deep and meaningful, close to three hour journey – filled with 80’s big haired rock, caffeine and theology, it became apparent that the frame of this retreat was laced with profound irony – perhaps some tongue in cheek, because upon exiting the vehicle it was clear that we had entered sacred space.
The air was filled with the sounds of birds celebrating their flight (I can only assume), and the smell of fermenting sugars while our vision was dominated by the vision of buildings and shrines dedicated to God, that have with stood the test of time – not a phone ring, SMS sound, or truck exhaust brake to be heard. Perhaps it was this kind of place (minus the Church, the shrines and the winery) to which Jesus and his disciples retreated too (Mark 6:30-31) for a chance to renew and refresh, and become once again human beings – not human doings. This retreat provided for me the space to reconnect with God in deep and meaningful ways, by having ‘free’ time to be with God, through optional guided prayer in the lectio divina tradition and spiritual direction with no distractions other that the sounds of nature, and communal meals. There is a profound connectedness in being on a solo semi-silent retreat (sorry Keith) amidst friends and colleagues. I am not sure whether to celebrate that there were only two ministers who attended this retreat because our other colleagues have ‘sacred space’ in their weekly lives, or to mourn that our colleagues do not see the need to “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.”