Embracing the Sacramental

There have been many special moments in my life, when somehow the lid of ordinariness has been lifted and I have discovered something that is both deep and full of wonder. I remember, as a young teenager, being taken by my father to the Royal Festival Hall to a concert. The experience was one of being taken into a world beyond everyday living and to a place which somehow touched the depths of my soul. The music was Elgar’s Cello Concerto and the soloist was Jaqueline du Pre, one of the greatest ever cellists. It was a moment I will never forget.

The church provides such deep moments of meaning. It calls them ‘The sacraments’, but all too often such sacraments are just churchy rituals, rather than windows into deeper living. As a priest in the Church of England, I am involved in administering the sacraments, but I have a great deal of sympathy with the Quakers, who do not recognise any such sacraments, for to them all life is a sacrament.

I think what they mean by that is that we can choose. Either we just go through life without ever finding deeper meaning in anything, or we so live our lives that everything we do is open to the possibility of wonder and deep joy. Perhaps it is through music, or through the drama or sport, or through watching a beautiful sunset, or resting in the arms of someone we love.

There are many ways in which the lid or ordinariness can be lifted and something deeper is found. That ‘something deeper’, is what I call God. Sacramental moments are God-filled moments and that encounter with God is something He invites us to share. 

Jesus had a certain amount to say about people with eyes, who cannot see, and with ears, who cannot hear. What he meant was that many people go through life entirely unaware of the presence of the Divine in their lives. Jesus challenges us to be open to that Divine presence. As he put it, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand’. Look for it, like someone who gives everything to find a hidden treasure, and you will find it.

I wonder – at what point today each of us might lay aside the ordinary and dare to open our hearts to God? For if we let him, he will surprise us.