I woke up this morning thinking about thin spaces. Maybe some of you are familiar with the term, maybe not. As I understand it, it’s used to describe a place where the fabric between this natural world we live in and the supernatural reality that surrounds us becomes more transparent. I’m going to run the risk of ruffling some feathers here, I’m afraid. Something I’ve tried to avoid in these reflections. If possible, though, however we may disagree about this or that, my hope is that we alight on the deepest of truths.

At a point in the early Hebrew monotheistic world, God was so holy and untouchable that he could only be experienced directly once a year by the purest of priests, and then only after he passed through the thickest of curtains. And, then in the Christian experience, that holiest of Gods became flesh and blood and completely touchable. Talk about a thin space.

In the pantheistic world, meaning God is in and around everything, God is a kind of force that permeates all substance, animate, inanimate. The thin spaces, then, become the places (often in nature) where we feel or experience that force more powerfully.

There are many faith practices that seek to mix and match both who and what God is and where he (in whatever form) is most present.

Of course, the thinnest of spaces is at the point where this life ceases to exist and we discover that either this whole spirituality thing is just a big old fantasy and part of evolutionary biology as some popular atheists proclaim, or that there really is an Other. At that point, if the latter is true, we will also know about thin spaces in this life.

I was thinking about thin spaces because I woke up early this morning (I made it till 3:30!!) as I do every morning now, thinking about my dear friend Shannon lying there in that hospital, hooked up to so many tubes, doctors courageously trying to keep her body alive so they can put in the toxins to beat down the cancer. Our desperate plea is that she gets stabilized as the doctors begin treatment. For the sake of her family, if nothing else, who so completely love her and wish to spend many, many more years as the girls marry, have children and share love.

I thought of Shannon in a thin space.

Then I thought of my aged and reclusive uncle who has chosen a life that shuns deep relationships, he who prides himself on a kind of spirituality but has little left to show for it because he has perhaps only loved a few, while distancing so many others who have tried to care.

Both of these things are happening right now and I’m spending a good part of my awake time either aware or actively engaged in some form with these two people.

This may seem like wandering for a bit but I hope these thoughts come together in the end.

And, here’s where the ruffling of feathers comes in. Deep breath. I recently heard thin spaces used to describe a particular location on earth. As, we’re going there, because it’s a thin space. It’s a spiritual place. I won’t mention locations but I can certainly tick off a few.

I’m not sure why this concept has developed. Perhaps it may because ancient people (Native Americans, indigenous peoples on other continents) practiced their particular brand of religion in that general or specific location. Or, similarly, it might be a beautiful church where tens of thousands have worshipped through the centuries. People make pilgrimages to these places, seeking to touch the Other, whatever or whomever they believe that to be.

Before I’m misunderstood, I’m all for pilgrimages of a sort. Diane and I hope to walk in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul when we visit Ephesus,Turkey this summer. Someday, God willing, we can stand on the shores of Galilee. I have sat in some really fine churches and have been awed.

But, by definition, a thin space is where God is so present, it’s nearly overpowering, all consuming. It’s here the pantheist and the monotheist should agree. Thin spaces can happen anywhere.

And, here it’s where it could get very interesting.

Naturally, we gravitate to beauty as the metric by which we judge how thin the space is. That grand and breathtaking vista from atop the mountain! That magnificent cathedral. The simple beauty of a people who have held on to their beliefs for hundreds or thousands of years.  And, all of this is good. Beauty IS a metric by which we understand our connection to God.

But, if that’s the only thing, we’re really missing the point.

I’ve seen heaven. I really have. It’s not the heaven described in books and movies but it’s heaven all right. One time, the space was so thin I didn’t think I could breathe. My heart hurt so much from the joy that I honestly thought it would burst out of my chest. It really was terribly painful but I also hoped the pain would never cease. Later, I heard that kind of experience described as “deep calling out to deep.” In my faith, that’s the Holy Spirit part of our triune God that is in me, reaching out in eternal love to the Father and Jesus. The eternal love of God is probably a pretty powerful force. No wonder I hurt!

But, I’ve also experienced thin spaces in squalor. In the most “unspiritual” of places. The Devil’s playground, as it’s described. No one makes a pilgrimage to prison in order to get in touch with a cosmic force or a spiritual experience.

Or, perhaps they do. The first time I went deep into the bowels of R.J. Donovan State Prison to worship and interact with inmates … murderers, gang bangers, burglars, drug dealers, etc…, I was actually overwhelmed with the love of God. The presence of the Holy Spirit was so powerful it, too, took my breath away. Why do those who minister to the ultimate outcasts keep going back? Because they experience God in ways that are nearly impossible to understand unless we step out in faith. Because they participate in bringing heaven into the deepest of pits.

Just as Jesus walked into the leper pits, his followers of so many stripes, ethnicities, and nations of origin choose to help redeem dark places a make them light, thin and sweet.

My God is not limited by space and time. He does not choose to be present in one location rather than another. My God happens to be all loving. Yes, it’s very hard to see him in the midst of squalor and desolation. But, just because it’s hard doesn’t mean he’s not there and can’t be found in the biggest way.

You see, God resides in the human heart. A heart that jumps ahead of the mind. A heart that beats with love. That love creates eyes to see and ears to hear. That love creates arms to embrace and it creates tears that flow in joy and sorrow.

Hugging someone who is clinging on out of desperation, weakened by grief or fear, is a thin space.

Jesus ate with sinners. Walked among outcasts. He brought rich and poor together and he said this is the Kingdom of Heaven. It is available right now. The thin space has arrived. All you have to do is believe.

I had a sense of what I’ve been saying for a very long time but I didn’t surrender to it. Then I did. I know not everyone will or is so called. But, I know I no longer have to go looking for thin spaces. I see them all of the time. Doesn’t make it easy. This is not about a constant state of ecstasy which is something I don’t seek. No, it’s not easy but it’s good. Very good. Life giving. It is the air I breathe. The air of the thin space that surrounds us all of the time and is manifest in how we worship, share life together, become engaged in this troubled world and actually partner with God to bless the lives of so many others.

In these things, God is present. He is just as vividly present in Donovan Prison or the Tijuana dump where hundreds live in squalor. He is present in the people that choose to connect with those who live there. The broken and downcast. But, it’s not just those extremes!

He is present when we smile and engage a harried employee, encouraging them and complimenting them. And we receive a smile in return. He is present when we choose to just listen and absorb someone else’s pain or struggle … forgetting our own agenda. He is present when we lift up our own failures, sins, and fears and plea for hope and forgiveness.

He is present in Shannon’s hospital room and she knows it.

He is present wherever we love, truly love. The kind of love Jesus displayed and taught us. Teaches us.

When I saw heaven that time it was because I experienced a love that transcended all understanding. In the years that followed, I’ve certainly done a very poor job of loving by that standard! But, I know that thin space was not just a mountaintop experience … and my job is not to just go find the next one. That’s not how it works. My job is to remember and to learn. Baby steps. Hopefully more forward than backwards.

I ask forgiveness from those who I’ve hurt and from those to whom I’ve not shown the love I feel. I ask for patience as I seek to grow in love.

The River is a great place to be. What a journey this all is!

Lord, help us to see you. Help us to see you in unexpected places. Teach us where to look for you. How to look for you. Help us to make that veil much more thin so that we may experience you more deeply. We thank you for the gifts of love and grace. Help our hearts to soften so we love more than judge. That we extend grace rather than express resentment. Help us to spend more time thinking of others than of ourselves and what we want. We know that with this help, thin spaces show up and life blooms radiantly, no matter the surroundings. Thank you. Amen