Clergy from left, Deacon Amy Schmuck, The Rev. Lynn Finnegan, The Rev. Mary Ann Hill, Pastor Nicolé Raddu Ferry and Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, retired. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com

By Pastor Nicolé Raddu Ferry
Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church

On August 17th after traveling by airplane, a car, a train, a bus, a ferry, another bus and another ferry, my friend and I arrived on the Isle of Iona for a weeklong pilgrimage for a retreat on caring for creation. We had wanted to visit the ancient Isle of Iona for some time, as it is known as the heart of Celtic Spirituality and site of pilgrimage for many ages. This area had it’s founding by Columba, an Irish saint who is credited with having had a main role in the conversion of Scotland to Christianity in the 6th century.

Columba founded a monastery that would endure for 1,000 years. St. Columba’s great gift was hospitality, and those who work at the abbey still live by this today. A healthy community existed at Iona, but the island’s greatest years were ahead. At its height, Iona had about 600 monks and many workers who supported the building and maintenance of the abbey. All told, the island’s population was probably close to 1,000. To this day, there are only 120 full time residents who welcome and show hospitality to over 150,000 visitors each year.

Iona is also what is called a “Thin Place.” A thin place is a place where the boundary between heaven and earth is especially thin. It’s a place where we can sense the divine more readily. An old Celtic expression says that heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in thin places that distance is even shorter.

“A thin place is where two worlds meet, where heaven kisses earth and eternal times brushes against ordinary time.” –Liz Budd Ellmann

Iona Abbey. Courtesy photo

Most recently in these “All Shall be Well” articles, you have read about the sorrow that many of us feel for those of you who have been harmed by the church or by organized religion. It is not supposed to be this way, and I pray you have heard our pain and hope that you will visit a community of faith again. You have been invited to look for delight in your daily pilgrimage, especially when little ones show us what is  possible. You read the history of Julian of Norwich and her reminder that “all shall be well” especially as we remember God’s presence among us. You have been invited to remember that our communities are human-based and there will be times of disappointment and times when we need reconciliation. And dear ones, I ask you to look for the thin places…

Look for the thin places of communities where prayer surrounds you with grace, healing, and hope.

Look for the thin places of provision as our communities work in the wider world cleaning God’s creation, providing food to those who are hungry, and creating spaces for our youth to be their authentic selves. Look for the thin places that point to ancient wisdom, and in the places that bring different folks together to explore areas of faith and science.

Look for the thin spaces that point to God’s unconditional love, grace, and possibilities beyond what we think is possible. May your pilgrimage be a blessing. Amen.

Iona Abbey on the island of Iona, just off the Isle of Mull on the West Coast of Scotland. It is one of the oldest Christian religious centres in Western Europe. Courtesy photo

Editor’s note: ‘All Shall Be Well’ is a column written by local women clergy including ELCA Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, M.Div., retired (czoebidd@gmail.com); Pastor Nicolé Ferry, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (pastornicole@bethluth.com); The Rev. Lynn Finnegan, Associate Rector, The Episcopal Church of the Holy Faith, Santa Fe (rev.lynn@holyfaithchurchsf.org) and The Rev. Mary Ann Hill, Rector, Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church (momaryannhill@gmail.com) and Deacon Amy Schmuck, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (deaconamy@bethluth.com).