Thin places

By Bishop Leonard Fairley

Last month, I wrote about the importance of stillness in our ever-busy lives. I have often wondered, especially as of late, if that is even possible in our world of constant distractions where the “tyranny of the urgent” runs wild and unchecked. I wonder if we have lost the ability to see the sacredness in things that appear at first glance to be mundane.

In her book “An Altar in the World,” Barbara Brown Taylor writes about how we relegate spiritually to confined spaces like churches or formal rituals. She challenges us to find the sacred in every facet of our lives. Taylor offers a rich and refreshing perspective on seeking connection with the divine, with God, through embodied experiences and mindful attentiveness to our surroundings.

Where have we missed the presence of God? Moses saw God’s presence in a burning bush while keeping the flock of his father-in-law.

“There the angels of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush … . Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up” (Exodus 3:1-3).

Where have we missed God because we refused to turn aside and see this thing?

In Celtic spirituality, “thin places” are locations or moments where the space between earthly and spiritual realms seems particularly thin, allowing a heightened sense of being in the presence of the divine. We could use a few thin places in this world, thin places that help us reconnect to the presence and sacredness in all things and in all people.

Where are your thin places? My grandma Gladys called it her secret closet.

I encourage you to discover those places where nothing comes between you and the presence of God before any word is spoken. Discover your thin place!

Before Any Word is Spoken

Before any word is spoken, may it be my joy

to hear the first bird song of morning’s dawn.

Before any word is spoken, may it be my blessing

to hear the first breath of wind blow through leaves

still wet with morning’s dew.

Before any word is spoken, may it be my joy

to hear each drop of spring’s rain touch the earth.

Before any word is spoken, words that

would profane this sacred thin place,

may I be blessed.

May I be blessed before the voice of the creator

becomes lost in meaningless chatter.

—By Leonard Fairley