I first encountered this quote while ministering in the Donegal region of Ireland a decade ago. It was there, too, while walking in the footsteps of our pilgrim ancestors, that I was introduced to the concept of “thin places” . . . holy places where the boundary between heaven and earth seem to be especially thin and thus the Lord’s presence is more readily sensed. Like the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, those who experience a “thin place” are tempted to want to prolong the moment, to pitch a tent and rest a bit, for fear of never encountering another. But for almost fifteen hundred years, St. Columba has been beckoning us to journey on, to trust that, because the Lord’s presence knows no earthly boundaries, another “thin place” awaits beyond the road’s bend.

By God’s grace, I’ve profoundly sensed the Lord’s presence often as I’ve walked the King’s Highway – most recently as I stood on the Bluff singing “Oh Happy Day” in the company of dozens, garbed in water-soaked cottas, who had just emerged from the May River after being baptized or renewing their Baptismal Covenants. Many lingered well beyond the last chorus to watch the sunset . . . their tears and silence a testament to just having experienced a “thin place” indeed!