Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Readings – I Kings 2: 10-12; 3: 3-14; Psalm 111; Ephesians 5: 15-20; John 6: 51-58

St. Paul wrote:

…be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody
to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at
all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am not quite there yet, I must admit – “at all times” and “for everything”.  I get easily distracted, easily weighed down, by the concerns.  Maybe you do too.  Still, I seek “the thin places in Celtic spirituality where ordinary reality and God’s holiness meet… where the veil between heaven and earth seems transparent.  A thin place is anywhere our hearts are opened.”  So wrote Bill Lewillis quite a few years ago, and now is printed in our bulletin each Sunday. 

I think seeking those “thin places” is what our psalmist in Psalm 111 was noting.  Experiencing the awesomeness of God is “the fear of the Lord [and] is the beginning [the opening] of wisdom [of the spiritual connection with God].  Those “thin places” are where we are nourished by Jesus.

Our week begins with that Sunday nourishment, by using St. John’s language, to “eat [Jesus’] flesh and drink [Jesus’] blood”.  Amid our sisters and our brothers, we receive, even if we are not at peace with them.  It is not dependent on us; it is only dependent on the promise of Jesus.  The heavens are open, our hearts are open, and we are spiritually fed.  And I would add, that here at All Saints that feeding continues with our coffee, tea, and coffee hour goodies.

However, I will admit—the experience of “thin places” once a week is the bare minimum.  It needs to be extended, savoring the Divine, enriched by other practices in the midst of wearing, challenging times. 

I suggest reading out loud, yes, out loud, from the four gospels, from St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John.  Refresh those stories of those who walked with Jesus more than 2,000 years ago.  It is those stories that again bring us face to face with the Risen Messiah, with the Risen Christ Jesus.  Just read one story a day and then close your eyes and imagine yourself walking beside him, or sitting at table with him, or being in the crowd listening to him.  Just one story at a time, and let it open your heart and mind to his presence. 

I also suggest remembering, perhaps while still in bed in the morning, or at night after your light is out, a prayer you know by heart.  Part of my late night routine is remembering you all as you sit on a Sunday morning, and also, those who have been in those seats in years past and who have now moved into the fuller presence of God, Ruth Lundberg, Jim Rogers, Arnold Gentner, Don Stahley, Ora Mae Snyder. 

Another favorite that opens my spirit is observing nature.  When the weather is too hot or too cold, I sit inside, in quiet, and just observe the snow or the rain, or the sunshine, and the birds, the squirrels, the chipmunks, the rabbits, as well as the flowers or just the wind blowing through the trees.  Ideally, I can sit outside, and be still, and experience the presence of God, even if just for a few moments before life’s chores and worries creep in.  I keep the feeders full, the water flesh, and that helps me check out the rest of God’s creation.  It reminds me that we are not here alone, and that God’s creation is so much larger than my little world. 

The final reorientation that comes to mind is music.  For a couple of weeks, we have been singing “Taste and See, taste and see, the goodness of the Lord”.  Yes, we have struggled with it, but it has become a wonderful “earworm” for me.  And I am sure that we all have music that nourishes us, perhaps from a past event or perhaps from a 33 1/3 or a 45 or even from a 78.  Or maybe you have been touched by a prelude, offertory, or postlude by Susy Tressler, Dee Mikita, or Roberta Garlock.  Like prayers, music can open our hearts to the Divine. 

I am sure there are other ways we open our hearts to savor God, perhaps hiking, boating, knitting, swimming, holding hands with a loved one, or being with family.  Seek to savor and extend those moments when the Spirit of God, the Wisdom of God, enriches you.  And being enriched, you will extend those moments to enrich others.

These sacred moments, “thin places”, remind us that God is among us, and those who savor the Lord God will indeed “live for ever”.

Amen