Third Places and Thin Places

Eugene Peterson said: “The way of Jesus is always local and ordinary.” While I agree with this thought in the sense that Jesus exemplified a life characterized by living with, learning about, and loving people wherever He was (i.e. locally), I would add a caveat that in reality, NOTHING Jesus ever does is ordinary...

Such were the events at Sanctuary Church as they unfolded on Sunday evening, July 11, 2010: local, yet very EXTRAordinary. As we sat in the Upper Room at Troy and Paige Hamby's house (yes, we can actually claim that we were in an upper room), we were all overcome by a sense of unity of purpose and mission as we realized our individual dreams were one and the same. One by one, we admitted to each other our individual dreams of opening a coffee-shop/cafe that would be a third place- a safe place for people to convene and experience authentic community-a place that would become a community hub-a center for community restoration. We even had a name (thanks to Troy): Grace Harbor Cafe! We all sat there mystified and amazed as the reality individually, yet collectively, hit us. Each one of us had been the recipient of the same whispered "In-Spirit-ation"! Then Troy broke the stunned silence and said, "You can't create this kind of thing...It is only created by the Holy Spirit."

As we discussed our dreams about creating a "Third Place," I felt a keen sense of being in a "thin place." (There's a Celtic belief that heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in the “thin places”- that distance is even smaller. A thin place is where the veil that separates heaven and earth because of sin seems to be briefly lifted and one is able to receive a more perfect glimpse of the glory of God.) By the look on the faces of the others, I suspect they felt it also.

I know Troy did, because he said something that resonated with me: "I believe that this day is a day we will all remember as the date of a major event in the life of this church. I believe that we are embarking on an venture that is so big it's bound to fail without God." Those words stuck in my head, because they are the title of a song by John Waller that I love and listened to a lot the Summer of 2006 when I entered seminary. You can listen to it below.

And so, it was with this very palpable sense of the Holy Spirit's presence, guidance, and peace that I left church that evening. On the way home, I decided to take a small detour off of Route 40 and drive by the sites on Washington Street and St. John Street in Havre de Grace that we were thinking and praying about.

When I pulled up to (what I think is) 317 St. John, I noticed Erica and Stephen Chaney, also from Sanctuary, standing out front and taking pictures. "It wasn't my imagination," I thought to myself, "it wasn't just me that felt the 'click.' Yes!" We walked around the property together, again in awe of how God is working out this "God thing" in our lives.

I drove home buoyed by hope, amazed by God's abounding grace that seems to be washing over my life in waves...grace upon grace upon grace...

How 'bout you?