If you attend our contemporary worship service – 9:00 in the CLC – you’ll find out that Wake Forest Presbyterian Church has a really good coffee station in the back corner. It stands – conveniently and providentially – right next to the classroom where I teach. The sign next to the coffee reads, “Holy Grounds.” I love that!

So this morning, preparing to come to church, I’m thinking about the whole idea of Holy Ground. In Exodus 3, when Moses approached the burning bush, God specifically told him to stand back and to remove his sandals. “The ground where you are standing is holy,” God said; “it’s important that you recognize and honor my presence here.” – Exodus 3

NO MORE VEIL! I’m well aware that Jesus has made God accessible once again; and that, because of Jesus, I can approach the Throne of Grace without fear – we all can. I get that. Without fear, yes – but not without respect. Jesus has broken down every barrier; but at the same time I really like the symbolic value of doing something like taking my shoes off, recognizing the gravity of entering the presence of the divine.

Jesus has promised, “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28). But this morning, preparing to drive to WFPC and to enter the sanctuary, willfully acknowledging the fact that worship – even in the gym – is a sanctified location, I find myself thinking about what I can do to affirm the amazing reality that “sanctified” implies.

What can I do? It’s a good question, and I believe we can all craft an answer in response to our own convictions. I’m determined to do something to acknowledge the Holy Ground, and I may or may not share what I come up with. After all, the important thing is that I know where I am, and who I am in the presence of.

Gravitas. Sanctuary. Holy Ground.

– DEREK