CAMP – Sacred Space
Psalm 145
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
Every summer kids go to camp. There are camps for everything – sports, music, chess, acting – you name it. My experience of camp was at Camp Innabah, the Methodist Church’s camp in Pughtown, PA. For many years, my Aunt Helen was one of the camp directors, so naturally I was eager to go as soon as I was old enough. There is a whole lot I remember about my experiences at Camp Innabah. I loved the craft shed where we learned how to make lots of neat stuff. I loved the swimming and boating. The hikes were fun and we learned to identify plants and trees, many different birds and the stuff that crawled around on the rocks in shallow water. There was a blind lady named Hannah there who used to tell the best stories to kids.
We had Bible study every day. Sunday church services were in a place called “Green Cathedral.” We had to cross French Creek to get there and hike through the woods, but where the trees opened up there were some log benches anchored into the ground that sloped down toward the creek, and a stone altar with a rough wooden cross on top. That was a sacred space where we could feel God’s presence in the beauty of the trees, the sky, the creek below. It was quiet there. The only sound was the soft sound of the water flowing by.
When we had free time during the afternoon I liked to sneak off to Green Cathedral and just be there alone with God. Nobody ever came looking for me, but I didn’t stay there too long. It was just a time where I could talk to God and tell God what was on my mind, what was good and what was not so good.
From my much older perspective, I can see the importance of that sacred space to a child who was growing up, trying to figure out myself and the world around me. Every kid still needs to have a sacred space somewhere that’s just for that kid and God. A place where the God who is powerful enough to create the universe can listen to the concern and confusion that our children deal with in this upside-down world is essential to their sanity. Let’s help our kids and grandkids find those sacred spaces and trust the God we have served for years to find them there.
Heavenly Father, we know we can come to you anytime, anywhere. There are some special places where we feel your nearness more keenly. Help us to introduce our children and grandchildren to our special places and the way we found you there so that they can find their own path to be close to you. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Sue Uzelmeier
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