“Holy places”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Monday, September 30, 2024
Genesis 28: 10-17 (Forward, p. 63) CEV p. 27
Myriads of people over the years have had the experience of especially sensing the presence of God in a particular place. The ancient Celtic peoples described them as ‘thin places’, places where the heavens were ‘thin’ and the glory and presence of God was more able to break through and be experienced. Thus, even before Christian times, the route threaded by the present-day Camino de Santiago was considered special, even holy. And, of course, this is/ was not unique. Many seaside vistas, lakes, glens, waterfalls, and mountains were thought to be the dwelling place of God, a meeting place with God, and were considered holy. And certainly within the region I’m familiar with, Chief Mountain, south of Cardston, Alberta, was considered sacred or holy by the Kainai (Blood) nation.
Today’s narrative relates Jacob’s experience of one such place, the much-storied place now known as Bethel (House of God). There, as he slept, he encountered a stairway to heaven with angels ascending and descending and heard the voice of God. In that short message from God, God made many promises to Jacob: a home, a heritage and a help. The land where he was sleeping would belong to him and his descendants forever. His family, his descendants would be numerous and spread over the entire earth. And He, God, would be with him and help him wherever he went. Furthermore, His descendants would be a blessing to the entire human race.
It is quite understandable then, given the potency of this story, that it has fueled the imaginations of generations, particularly hymn writers. The well-known hymn, “Nearer, My God, to Thee”, picks up on Jacob’s sense of melancholy and foreboding—after all, his brother Esau wanted to kill him. In a sense the darkness of this particular night mirrored the darkness of his own soul. And so, in the words of this hymn, he yearns for God and for His abiding presence:
Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
Even though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song would be, ‘Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer, my God to thee, nearer to thee.”
Though like the wandered, the sun gone done,
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone,
Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer, my God to thee, nearer to thee.
There let the way appear, steps unto heaven;
All that thou sendest me, in mercy given;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer, my God to thee, nearer to thee.
Then with my waking thoughts bright with thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs, Bethel I’ll raise,
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer, my God to thee, nearer to thee.
A traditional English hymn, “As Jacob with Travel Was Weary’, picks up on the idea of the ladder as being our means of access to heaven and to God. Its first two stanzas read as follows:
As Jacob with travel was weary one day,
At night on a stone for a pillow he lay,
He saw in a vision a ladder so high
That its foot was on earth and its top in the sky.
The ladder is long, it is strong and well-made,
Has stood hundreds of year and is not yet decayed;
Many millions have climbed it and reached Zion’s hill,
Many millions by faith now are climbing it still.
And Northampton Baptist pastor, Philip Doddridge, continues in this ‘tradition’ as he invokes the image of Bethel and God’s abiding, and guiding, presence, in his now famous, “O God of Bethel”:
O God of Bethel, by whose hand
Thy people still are fed,
Who through this weary pilgrimage,
Thy multitudes hast fed.
All this plays upon the experience of just person, a person from the Bible, that experienced a particular place of holiness, a place of encounter with God. Many others could also be told, both within the Scriptures and without, both then and now. So, then, what about us? Do we, you and I, have our own places of encounter with God? A church, perhaps, or maybe some place in the out-of-doors, or maybe just a special place within our homes: it matters not where. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful thing and something to be cherished. Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go” (verse 15a)
“When I left California after 17 years to return to my hometown near Washington, D.C., I drove cross-country alone. I was cautious, of course. I pre-planned three overnight stays with friends along the way. I stuck to my route and timed it so I wouldn’t drive at night. Everything went off without a hitch.
“As we make our way through life, we often move from one place to the next, to a new city or a familiar town. We make our plans and plan our course. Sometimes, the journey is smooth and other times rocky, but God is always with us. With that blessed assurance, we can arrive at the new place with a sense of thanksgiving for safe travels and anticipation of what is to come.”
Moving Forward: “Write this verse from Genesis on a piece of paper and tuck it away in a wallet or purse as a reminder of God’s abiding presence.”