The Change

A theological system which has served me for all my working years began to come unglued a bit a few years ago as I entered into the season of life known as retirement.  A number of things changed other than just a work schedule.  The church building which was so central to every waking moment was replaced by the wide open spaces of creation.  Preaching which had been the mainstay of ministry was taken away and in its place came a ministry which has centered on writing.  And without a schedule to keep and direct the days, there has been more time for activities like sitting, thinking, paying more attention to the present, and work that raised a sweat and left me with dirty hands.       

While all of this has left its mark, one of the primary change agents has been a growing awareness of the way God expresses Himself in a continuous manner through the things around me.  Much of this has grown out of exposure to the stream of Celtic spirituality.  It is a theological vein which reminds us that God is not simply experienced in and through the church, but in and through everything and everyone within creation.  Where as, it once seemed that the church was a holy place standing midst a secular and profane world, it has  become far more apparent that there is no place which does not bear the imprint of the Creator.   Or, to put it another way,  there is no place which is not holy.     

What has happened as this awareness has grown within my spirit is a deepened and more constant sense of holy presence.  Everywhere I walk it is in the midst of His presence and everything around me from living creatures to broken decaying limbs holds within it the possibility of being the Voice of God speaking in the moment.  Paying attention, seeing, and listening with faith filled expectation has ushered in a new way of knowing and experiencing the Holy One who has declared He is with us always.