How much experience have you had with altars? For most not so much. The thought of standing behind that ominous structure where a preacher goes once a week is beyond intimidating. Most would rather die than step up before a live audience to speak, especially when they are discusing God.
I love Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's take, "I, your priest, will make the whole earth my altar and on it will offer you all the labors and suffering of the world." Juxtapose this with Mark's account of the rich man's encounter with Christ and we are truly on to something.
The rich man wanted Jesus to give him the simple black and white ticket into heaven. "What does it take to inherit eternal life," he asks. After Jesus goes over the list central to living out our faith, he applauds his faith. All the while our Lord knew what was hindering his life from being truly free. His worship had shifted from a God altar to that of a material things altar.
What would it look like if we set up altars in those places we spend the most time. These do not have to be physical places endowed with candles, Bibles, and kneelers. They could simply be a place we enter into and realize we are standing on Holy ground. A place where we are intentional to claim His presence there with us. Altars in your kitchen, garage, office, neighbors house, local homeless shelter...If we establish them He meets us there!
Blessings,
Jeremy
Welcome to the conversation! For as long as our own discipline will allow, I hope to use this resource as a forum for prayer and reflection for the community of Perdido Bay United Methodist Church. We'll be working through Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals as our daily devotional guide. Since we're beginning the journey on Ash Wednesday, the hope is that this will be an additional venue for us to pray together throughout this holy season.
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