Holy Ground - Monday Musing, April 26, 2021

Dear Church,

Holy Ground. Yesterday’s worship highlighted Earth Day, and my message was titled Holy Ground. While I spoke about the many environmental issues that the world is currently battling, my thoughts continue to linger on the term holy ground. Generally, holy ground refers to a sacred site, an area considered sacred or holy. While this certainly applies in a global sense, what about closer to home?

What particular place do you consider holy? Where are you most connected to God? I can imagine that for many of us this might be The Federated Church of Orleans. This past year COVID-19 restrictions have prevented attendance at worship, and this has been heart wrenching. The church is a place where milestones in our lives are celebrated (baptism, wedding, funeral), so naturally it is a sacred place. For others though, special places in nature come to mind – mountain vistas, ocean views, meadows – where we experience God’s presence. Having grown up in York Beach on the coast of Maine, I feel most connected to God at places on or near water.

Geron Davis’ lyrics in the song Holy Ground come to mind:

When I walked through the doors, I sensed His presence,

and I knew this was a place where love abounds.

For this is a temple the God we love abides here,

and we are standing in His presence on holy ground.

So where do you feel most connected to God? What is your holy ground?

Identifying with or engaging in a spiritual experience in a particular place is not unusual – throughout scripture there are examples of places named as holy ground by the followers of our faith. While we may feel God’s presence most in a particular place, does this limit God to only those places? Of course not! The presence of God, the power of Jesus, and the movement of the Holy Spirit are not solely limited to geographic locations.

May we recognize God’s great ability to break through our distances to speak to us – wherever we are and at whatever place we name holy. See you in church.

Faithfully,

Darren