Sunday 19th July, 7th Sunday after Trinity

In the Celtic Christian tradition we often find mention of “thin places”, where the barriers between physical and spiritual reality break down, where God can be encountered, revelation experienced, insight gained. The Celtic saints – and the Desert Fathers before them - frequently sought out places in the wilderness, building their hermitages and monasteries in marshes, on islands, up mountains or in deserts. There they would pray and study, battling demons and seeking the face of God.

In our Old Testament reading this morning Jacob has a “thin place” experience. In a dream of angels journeying between heaven and earth, he realises that God had been in the place with him all the time without his awareness. In response he sets up an altar, which eventually becomes one of the most holy shrines of Israel.

Once, the site of Malvern Priory was a wilderness, a hunting ground inhabited by deer, wolves and bears. The first monks built their Priory here not to bring God to this place, but because they found him here already. Now, the Priory is a “thin place” for many people, a place to come to pray, reflect, sit quietly. Many report that they find it easier to meet with God within these walls, hallowed by centuries of prayer.

But the story of Jacob reminds us that anywhere can be a “thin place”. God inhabits the whole of his creation, and sometimes we not only find him in unexpected places, but realise that he has been alongside us all the time. All we need to do is open ourselves to the encounter.

Every blessing,

Roger