I went to the church this morning to pick up some things that we’ll need in order to hold worship in our homes. It was very sad to stand in the sanctuary and know that I won’t be returning to that beautiful space for at least a month. I took some pictures that we’ll use during our live-streaming of services, because so many of you have told me how comforting it is to be able to see our sacred space. But sometimes, during the live-stream, we won’t use these pictures, because we are now called upon to think of our homes as sacred space as well.

At the end of the Palm Sunday service, I’ve included a little rite for blessing our homes as places of worship. One way that I’ve been preparing to do this is by trying to pay close attention to my own home. The colors of the walls, chosen with such care when we moved in. The painting and prints that hang on those walls. The furniture that we sit on every day, the places on the bannister I always touch when I’m going down the stairs. These things have always been rather sacred to me, and in this time of isolation in our homes I need to name that sacrality, to be attentive to it and grateful for it. I hope you’ll be able to find the sacred within your own homes, as well.