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Friday 2 October 2009

'Friday Five' - touching holiness

In today's 'friday five' at revgals, Sally is pondering holiness and God's peace and presence.  I joined in with this lot:

1. A place that holds a special memory?  I love the Isle of Iona, in the Inner Hebrides.  A place where I once lived and worked.  Walking off the ferry there's very much the sense of encounter with God: a place where the gap between heaven and earth is tissue-thin....

2. A song that seems to usher you into the Holy of Holies? 
Without a doubt, it has to be 'Let all mortal flesh keep silence' when it comes to older style hymns... and modern stuff - 'Indescribable' by Chris Tomlin.  Both manage in different ways to capture the awesomeness of the holy God we worship.

3.A book/ poem/ prayer that says what you cannot? 
Mother Julian's prayer 'all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.'  In the hard places, and the fearful places, it's this that comforts.
 

4. How do you remind yourself of these things at times when God seems far away?  I'm a visual thinker... there's a great painting by a retired German priest called Sieger Koder [at left] which was immensely helpful when I was going and growing through the process of bereavement

5.Post a picture/ poem or song that speaks of where you are right now in your relationship with God...     
In a place where I feel held and cherished and loved by God...      [at right]

3 comments:

Sally said...

what a beautiful post, I love Iona, and that sculpture is stunning.

Anonymous said...

thanks for the reminder about Seiger Koder. I love his pictures and might use this one in a special service we are ding here next week.

altar ego said...

Love Iona, and Mull, too! If the Spirit doesn't whisper in the mist of the Highlands than I'll be a monkey's uncle. Evocative sculpture, too.