In a post I wrote in October 2009, I expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of natural sunlight in an up-and-coming church.

Well …

Now I attend one of those churches … and (gasp!) I like it. I’m all for revision.

One difference: although there is no natural light in this sanctuary, it does offer plenty of architectural lines to trace during the sermon.

Still, I won’t completely abandon my original thoughts. I think we all long for a place of worship that is unbelievably huge, inspiring, filled with light and pure strength. Think cathedral.

I spent a week in San Francisco as a college student. One day I wandered around the city completely alone, with just a map, my wallet, and a camera. At one point I remember sensing that I was being followed. (I am not typically paranoid.) Lucky for me, Grace Cathedral was just a couple of blocks away. I walked/ran into the cathedral and lost myself there for two hours. And it was such a reward, I found out. The church bells tolled and I knew I was in a good place, a safe place. And I didn’t have to pay and I didn’t have to explain to anyone why I was there.

Now … if I went to my church in the middle of the week, at any random time, someone–surely someone–would want to inquire if I could be helped. Just the inquiry would break my state of mind, I’m sure. And I suppose I’d be the only person in a dark sanctuary, and suddenly the janitor would come in and flick on every annoying light and start the vacuum.

My nerves would be fried in an instant and I’d leave, immediately.

I wish … I so long for … a place where I can just go, to love and worship God in a beautiful place, a place for the community, and receive no questions of my purpose.

Photo taken from Grace Cathedral’s website.