“Prayer is the meeting of eternity and time…” from Easter, by Michael Arditti. I have heard a number of things like this. From this past semester’s liturgy class: the idea that the liturgy is meant to bring us out of our time and into God’s time, from kronos into kairos. In much the same way that a church – full of stained glass, statuary, candles, beautiful architecture, icons, etc. – brings us out of our human ‘space’ and into God’s ‘space.’ This idea of the church environment, its ‘space,’ is made very real as one enters St. Thomas Episcopal Church on 5th Ave. in New York City. Coming from the hustle and bustle, the noise, the frenzied and frantic crowds of 5th Ave., and entering into St. Thomas, where it is quite, serene, peaceful, and very beautiful is almost like entering a different world. The only place to find quite in New York City is within a church. Time stops in those places, if for only a moment, and I am able to hear myself think, I am able to meditation and contemplate, and I listen attentively for the still small voice of God.
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