Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes? But now take courage. While this prophetic word is addressed to ancient Israel it could just as easily be addressed to St. James today. Thirteen years ago the long time home for the people of St. James was torn down. Losing that structure was a blow. We have made a new home in the former school hall and it seems to work even though the building does not have many of the traditional things which make a church feel sacred. What we do have is each other. Perhaps that reality challenges us to see the sacred in the people rather than in the place. We need sacred spaces — as embodied creatures the space that we occupy matters. However, what we have found it is not the stained glass windows or the pews that make a space sacred but rather the presence of God in the people we are praying with. While the search for a more adequate space to meet our needs continues we must hold on to what we already have — a community of welcome, of compassion, of prayer.
