“Earth’s crammed with heaven,/And every common bush afire with God,/But only he who sees takes off his shoes;/The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
–Elizabeth Barrett Browning
I would imagine if you took a poll among Chicagoans asking them what their favorite season is, summer would need to do no campaigning–it would win in a landslide. This places me in a most distinct minority as summer is the season that makes me yearn for my home state of Iowa the most. While others revel in festivals and the beaches next to Lake Michigan, I miss the wide open and green fields that make up most of the state of my upbringing. My family is making its annual summer trip to Iowa in a few days and the famous line from “Field of Dreams” will go through my mind as we cross the state border: Is this heaven? It’s Iowa. (Picture above courtesy of said location, 18 miles from where I grew up).
I’ve been reading yet another Henri Nouwen book lately, this one a compilation put together after his death called “Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life.” Discernment has been on my mind a lot lately. The book reminded me of many things I know: That God can be discovered in so many ways, including places that are familiar: Scripture, other people, certain events. But one chapter in the book called “Read the Book of Nature” struck me. Finding God in nature, of course, is not a radical thought, but it reminded me of the importance of place and holy ground.
We started a new sermon series at my church last Sunday called “Committed to the City” and we’re inviting our folks to post pictures on their social media outlets of places in the city where they’ve met God. Sacred spaces. The ancient Irish also called them “thin places.”
It’s important to remember the many unexpected places where we can experience God and the unexpected ways God communicates to us. It’s also important to hold fast to the holy ground in your life, knowing you can go there, that God will be waiting for you. Where is your place? Go there. Take off your shoes. And receive God’s welcome.