Thin Places

"The Space Between Us" by Roxana Save

The Celts believed that throughout the world there were "thin" places. Locations where God comes close and we can feel the presence of the divine so much more easily. Most of them, they believed, lie in nature.

This weekend we are journeying out into God's creation to worship and fellowship together so that we might have a chance to find one of those thin places.

And as we do, we are going to be reading about the patriarch, Abraham, desperately clawing his way through the wilderness seeking such a location.

Throughout human history, we have tried to figure out the best ways to commune with the divine. Unfortunately, we have far too often come up short. And one of the worst ways, one that lasted up to just before the most recent few hundred years, is human sacrifice - the belief that only by slaughtering the innocent can we gain divine favor.

And yet very early in the Hebrew cannon we find our God controverting this principle.

In the story of the sacrifice of Isaac, when Abraham nearly slaughters Sarah's only son, we find God upending and refusing the practice of human sacrifice entirely. Pushing us in a different direction. Pointing us towards something more.

Christ showed us that the thinest of places we will ever find on this planet are in the spaces between one another. In our relationships with our neighbors. Most importantly, our relationships with those who are drastically different from ourselves - those we do not want. The space between us and those people, that is where God comes closest of all.

God draws us in and asks if we are really paying attention. If we are really listening. If we are really ready to do as we are commanded.

Because most of the time... the answer is no.

See you at the park on Sunday!

Blessings,

Rev. Janie