March 20, 2022
Thin Places.
Has anyone here ever heard the term “Thin Places”?
It is not the gym nor a weight watchers meeting.
It is not your kitchen when you eat a Nutri System meal.
It refers to a geographical area, where the distance between two worlds, the physical and spiritual is very thin.
It is a place where many experience a great sense of peace.
Some say time stands still for them, they feel a strong presence of God. It is other worldly.
I was reading an account from a gentleman who while on a pub tour of Ireland with friends, decided to pull over and visit the ruins of an old monastery.
As he strolled around what was once the church part of the building, he became aware of an overpowering sense of the presence of God.
While he thought he was only there a short while, his friends waiting for him in the car.
What were you doing in there? You’ve been gone for a half hour. We still have many pubs to visit!
For some reason, the British Isles and Ireland are known for their many thin places.
I don’t know if I ever experienced a thin place, although I have experienced thin moments.
At the birth of our 3 children, during charismatic rallies when I was young. A few hours before my sister died.
The most recent was at a funeral I attended last weekend.
Jeanne, the deceased was the unofficial matriarch of my wife Noel’s paternal family.
She lived to 105.
Noel was out of town visiting our youngest and her family in Texas.
So I was in charge of picking up my 99 year old father-in-law at BWI Airport and driving us to Northern NJ.
The viewing time was very busy with Jeanne’s 5 children, their spouses, 17 grandchildren, their spouses and 22 great grandchildren, and many friends.
At one point I realized I hadn’t really spent any time at the casket.
So I went over and knelt and looked at Jeanne who still didn’t look anything near her age.
As I quietly said a prayer, a peace settled over me, I sensed a presence that I have every once in a while, in my life:
Not regularly, but often enough for me to recognize it.
A thin moment.
I don’t know what the experience is, or the reason for it. but I think I was being shown that Cousin Jeanne was in Heaven.
Sacred places, thin places, holy places, holy ground.
Moses had the thinnest of moments in the thinnest of places by the burning bush.
Not only was he in the physical presence of God, but God told him his name.
God’s name is Yahweh.
Roughly translated to I am who I am.
What is the first thing we ask people we just met?
What is your name?
Unlike other gods and idols of the era, God implies he is a living God, not just an idol or fashioned by hand statue,
That Yahweh had a conversation with Moses also implies not only is God a living God, but he wishes to enter into a relationship with us.
A covenant, as in you will be my people and I your God.
Pretty simple really.
If you are like me, you may have given things up for Lent.
As a kid for me it was usually candy or soda or other treats.
I remember thinking, what is God going to do with all those Hershey bars?
How does this sacrifice benefit God? Are there Almond Joy rooms, or Milky Way mansions in Heaven?
I would bargain with God at times.
OK I am doing this for you, what are you going to give me?
Eventually as I grew up, I realized that Lenten sacrifices aren’t to benefit God in any way, but rather benefit us.
When we stop doing something we are attached to,
it clears our minds and spirits.
We aren’t as distracted.
When we stop getting our fix of Tootsie Rolls, or Martinis, or tobacco, or time on Twitter or Facebook, we miss them.
When they are gone, we become aware of all the time, energy, and money we spend on our addictions. Minor and major.
We might find we have more time and interest to spend in prayer and meditation.
Who knows, like Moses, we may find ourselves standing on holy ground.
And like Moses we may actually hear God.
Not necessarily audibly, but in the quiet of our hearts?
That is why we give up eating candy, or reading comic books, or savoring fine wines and spirits.
We need to make room for God.
Because all of us hoard things.
We may find ourselves praying the words from today psalm:
1 O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; *
my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
as in a barren and dry land where there is no water, beer or Big Macs.
God had a plan for Moses. He was to be an instrument of freeing the Israelites from Egypt.
Set my people free!
One thing about God is he doesn’t always choose people to do his work whom we might.
God had a plan for Moses and God has a plan for each of us.
Moses was raised an Egyptian but was on the lam for killing one.
Most certainly Moses would prefer to stay below Pharaoh’s the radar.
But he did want God called him to do.
The Bible and the history of Christian saints and mystics are full of stories of God speaking to individuals.
I think God has words for all of us.
But like any relationship, good communication is needed.
Communication is a 2 way street.
Not only do we pray to God, but we need to take time to listen to what God is telling us.
It may come in a thought we never had before.
It may come in the voice of our conscience.
It may come from another family member.
…not surprisingly, because who knows us better than our spouses.
It may come when we finally say yes to something that our conscience has been bothering us with for years.
Maybe God is calling us to invite a friend, who doesn’t belong to a church to ours? That neighbor for example.
Whatever God is trying to tell us, may we open our hearts to hear as we approach the altar rail, when God is not only in our presence, but we receive Him. May it be a thin moment for us.
Jesus,
you have known us from the beginning of time,
you have known us in the depths of our dreams and in the darkness of our shame,
you know us as your beloved.
Help us to own that core identity more and more in this season of repentance and mercy.
Give us the rock-solid assurance of your unwavering faith in us
as we seek the same in you.
Amen.