- December 15, 2025
More than 45 Lutherans, many from St. Mark by the Sea Lutheran Church, gathered Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, on the property of St Mark, to construct a Christian prayer labyrinth. The labyrinth, a tool for mediation, combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. Praying a labyrinth is a form of walking meditation, intended to lead from yearning toward joy, meaning, hope and peace.
As early as 324 A.D., a labyrinth was placed on the floor of a Christian church in Algiers, North Africa. Historically, labyrinths have been used as a way to symbolize and connect with Christ.
One of the oldest surviving and best-known labyrinths dates back to 1205, and is located on the floor of the Chartres Cathedral, in France.
The entrance and exit are at the same spot in the labyrinth. The single path takes the worshipper to the center and back out again. Unlike a maze, which has many dead ends and false pathways, a labyrinth has no dead ends. Each person walks at his own pace with an average walk lasting about 30 minutes, allowing some time for meditation in the center.
The labyrinth at St. Mark is located in a quiet corner of the property on the east side near the fellowship hall and the day school. It was constructed over the course of two days, with financial support from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and with other anonymous contributions.
The labyrinth at St. Mark is open to the public from sunrise until sunset. There is no need to set an appointment.
An information box is set up near the labyrinth. The church asks visitors to write their names and dates of visit in the guest book, which is in the box.
St. Mark by the Sea Lutheran Church is located at 303 Palm Coast Parkway, N.E. The pastor is the Rev. Pam Northrup. For more information, call 445-3420 or email [email protected].
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