My friend and I facilitate a
monthly quiet morning called “A
Morning Apart”. Folks gather in
community for two hours listening to scripture using the ancient art of Lectio
Divina, followed by time to be with God in the silence. At the close of our gathering, there is
a group reflection, where people briefly share their experience of the morning.
Last Saturday our theme was “The
Thin Places: Can you hold on to
Holy Moments?” You know, those
times when you can feel the very Presence of something other than yourself, a
God noticing! No matter how large
or small, you have been “touched by the whisper of God” (a quote from Noticing
God by Richard Peace)
The scripture passage was on the
Transfiguration, Matthew 17:1-8.
Talk about Thin Places! Can
you just imagine going up the mountain with Jesus, seeing Elijah and Moses and
hearing the voice of God?!
And Peter’s reaction, after the amazement and fear - let me build a
dwelling for each of them so this moment can be contained!
You see, I get that
response. Please God, let me stay
in the Holy Moment, don’t let it slip away; let me bask in the light of feeling
You and having no doubts. But of course,
that doesn’t happen, just as Peter couldn’t save the Transfiguration by
erecting a memorial.
During the quiet space, we often
times offer the opportunity to explore a spiritual discipline, which somehow
connects to the scripture. Since
my friend is the director of the church preschool, she suggested having a big
tub of “goop”! Unless you have a
young child or grandchild, this concoction might elude you! It’s a very simple mixture of water and
cornstarch. It’s fun digging in,
trying to grasp the cornstarch, which has settled at the bottom of the
tub. And as hard as one tries, it
is impossible to grip the substance for any length of time; it naturally slips
between the fingers.
My “ah-ha moment” came during the
closing reflection. One of the
participants shared of her experience with the goop, how she could not clutch
it in her hand, but that it left a residue even as it dripped back into the
tub. Yes! I thought, I’m not left alone! I can’t enshrine the Thin Places, but
they have etched a place in my soul, where I can reach back and relive the
moments.
Let me close with a Celtic definition:
“Thin Places”…The Celts call this
place,
Both seen and unseen,
Where the door between this world
And the next is cracked open for
a moment
And the light is not all on the
other side…Holy Space
