Take Off Your Shoes

In the third chapter of Exodus Moses hears the voice of God from a burning bush and God said to Moses, “Remove the sandals from your feet for the place which you are standing is Holy Ground.”

I remember being in Jerusalem and visiting the “Temple Mount.” As we were about to enter the shrine of the Dome of the Rock we were asked to take off our shoes. It seems that Islam takes this injunction to Moses very seriously so that any time you enter a place of worship you remove your shoes. The place you are standing is holy ground. It is part of the awareness of being in sacred space.

I was sitting in church Sunday wondering about being in a sacred space and how often we American Christians enter the sanctuary with out awareness of holy ground. It is not in our tradition to remove our shoes in the sanctuary. After more than forty years of serving as pastor of congregations I am always very aware of the sacred space. The whole church building is dedicated to God but the place of worship is the most sacred to me. The Communion table and baptistery are places of holy actions and we need to know it.

How do you make yourself aware of Holy Ground?