Fittingly, the poem for the middle of this week is titled ‘Mid-Week Service’, and here, The Poet encourages us to realise that sanctuary can be found in places we may often overlook as mundane. Sometimes, you can find it in a café.
Throughout the week, One Church on Florence Road becomes Skylark Coffee café. In such an environment where people from different life paths come together and work or read or relax around one another, a new perspective of what sanctuary can mean is discovered.
Here are some words from The Poet on this poem:
“The idea of sanctuary, even the word itself, conjures up imaginations of cathedrals or great and transformative acts of God or at the very least, the fellowship reserved for Sunday services. But if we are to find and live in it, we must also understand that not only do we carry that with us, but also that God’s welcoming rest can be found in every aspect of our lives.
“In this instance, it is a café.
“During the week, One Church at Florence Road turns into the Skylark Coffee café, where hot and cold drinks, and sweet and savoury pastries are served to the tune of relaxing and quietly upbeat music playing through the speakers. Working on this poem brought me to Skylark Coffee, and what I found was just as much kindness and calm, and openness as I did on Sundays at church.
“Just like church where we are encouraged to let down our troubles and burdens of life to the feet of Jesus, in coming to the café, I found myself putting that encouraging guidance into action.
“I took a seat at an empty table in the café, rest my legs from the arduous climb up the hill, and catch my breath. I listened to the gentle ceramic tinkling of cups on saucers, the murmur of chatter of groups of people at their own tables as they worked or just chatted, the crunch of crumbling croissants and the gargle of the coffee maker brewing a new drink. I felt made to belong as the servers chatted with me as they took my order and served it to my table once ready. To me, that was as holy as church on Sunday because the reverence for each other was maintained.
“So, I encourage you all to look deeper into the places you spend your life throughout the week beyond Sunday. Let yourself settle in those spaces, experience them consciously, and perhaps find unexpected relief in them too.”
What are some seemingly ordinary places you visit often that give you a sense of relief? What can you learn about God’s rest and offer of retreat from those environments?