I’m just five weeks away from concluding my time as your minister, and as such I’m attempting to turn over as much as I can of whatever I have to whomever is interested.

In this frame of heart and mind, this morning I stumbled across a print version of a service from Sunday, February 7, 2010. This was the date when we as a congregation moved into our present sanctuary. That service, some of you may recall, began in our original sanctuary, now our Fellowship Hall, processing from there through the newly-built foyer into gleaming, newly-constructed sanctuary.

Before leaving the original sanctuary, however, we offered some words of thanks in “A Litany of Gratitude upon Leaving Our Sanctuary”. Here are some of the words from that litany that capture for me the value of place and the meaning of “sacred space”. The litany began with a short introduction:

“This is a room that short years ago we built as a sacred place, a haven in which to harbor our dreams of a just and caring community. Now, as we prepare to leave this sanctuary, we would offer departing words of thanks and praise.”

And here are some excerpts from that litany that speak to what we were thankful for:

“In this place we have gathered weekly to reflect, to ponder, to wonder, to give thanks, to sing, to meditate, to pray, to praise, to prepare ourselves for the week ahead.

“In this place we have told stories to our children and shared with them our ideals and values, then blessed them on their way.

“In this place we have held ceremonies marking the stages of our lives. Here we have blessed the birth of our children and recognized their coming-of-age, celebrated unions of marriage and partnership, and spoken our final goodbyes at the time of death.

“In this place we have attended to the circle of seasons in nature about us and the corresponding rhythms of spirit within us. Here we have commemorated Old Year and New Year, Good Friday and Easter, Earth Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas.

“In this place we have honored the arts, taught the sciences, challenged the intellect, and tuned the body.

“In this place we have extended ourselves to the larger community and world. Here we have affirmed and promoted justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; here we have sought to preserve the earth and her many forms of life.

“This place has cradled our visions, swelled with our songs, rung with our laughter, and held our sorrow. These walls have been a container for our highest hopes and deepest dreams.”

My sermon on that “Move-in Sunday” was titled “A Sanctuary for the Spirit”. This place has certainly been – and is – a sanctuary for my spirit and, I trust, for many of you as well.

Bruce Bode