Nicholas Acker Landscapes of the Sacred #3: Church as Sacred Place

When I think of churches, sacred place is the first thought that comes to mind. Growing up going to church and being raised Catholic I spent a lot of time in them. In childhood days, church was just a routine. It would take time to realize the spiritual significance and meaning the church has for people. Locations can become sacred through the practices people do there, events that have occurred there, or even just the sheer beauty of the place. Churches combine these elements to create a visually pleasing atmosphere where people have been coming for spiritual guidance for a long time. Every Sunday, and most weekdays, the church is filled with people praying or just trying to get closer to God and have a better understanding of religion. The place is sacred because it can be an empowering location. So many before have come and placed matters into God’s hands. So many prayers have been said. Generations before you have probably come in and out of those doors for the same purpose. This quote caught my eye and made me think about what makes the church a holy place. A person might think, if God were to hear my prayer, he would hear it here because so many people have come before and used the church for power and guidance. “It is a tiny church, yet it contains the whispered prayers of thousands who have come there through the years.”