Thinking about ‘thin’
This pilgrimage is between two ‘thin’ places, Iona and Lindisfarne. Places where heaven touches earth in such a way that there seems barely a tissue paper separating the material and the spiritual, suggested Iona Community’s founder, George Macloud.
Centuries of the practice of prayer in particular places may have something to do with this. A practice rooted in a sense of both earthly vulnerability and deep trust in the divine.
Certainly these windswept islands are so vulnerable to the elements that they appear to have been worn thin by wind and wave and rain and sun. Thin in profile against the might of the sea and the vast space of sky. Green and grey squeezed flat by all hues of water, above and around.
If pilgrims are drawn to thin places, do they become thin people too? And what does that mean? I think this is part of what I will be exploring these coming days. I expect to lose weight! But I expect also to become more vulnerable, less in control, more open and agile, more trusting in God and less weighed down by preoccupations.
I wonder what you think about ‘thin’ places and ‘thin’ people?
A few days ago I opened a wooden door and walked through into a walled garden. It felt like a "thin" place stirring an immediate response of awe and wonder at the abundance of butterflies, vibrant colours of a variety of flowers, inviting paths to wander along and explore further, trees laden with apples and pears. It was a place of beauty, life, peace and inspiring hope - deeply attractive, inviting me to stay and linger and simply bathe in the glory of God's creation.
ReplyDeleteMaybe "thin" people are those who also radiate God's life and hope. Those who, by simply being with them, draw us closer to God. Those through whom we feel invited to discover more of the Creator. Those who leave us feeling more joyful, more peaceful, more alive.
I also wonder whether "thin" people are those who when they pray "Give us this day our daily bread" are praying for enough for today rather than craving the accumulation of more and more stuff. Being free to let go of all that encumbers them. Living lightly and trusting God. Becoming "thin" people is a lifelong work of God's transforming grace. And so each day we pray the Lord's Prayer.
May your pilgrimage open a door to lighten your load.
Thin places for me are cemeteries. Places where there is a mixture of emotion: grief, hope, anger, faith, and often where the depth of love is understood. A place where life and death are mixed together.
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