The "Thin Space"

THE “THIN SPACE”

I’ve been reading a book recently by Joshua Graves called The Feast: How to Serve Jesus in a Famished World.  He is describing the kind of ministry Jesus had, and calls each of us to have:

“British mystics have a great phrase. To explain the meeting of the divine and human they often use the phrase “thin space,” the unsuspecting place where God and creation come together. These thin spaces are the moments and places where heaven and earth kiss, where eternity ever so subtly, creeps into our temporary lives.

“Jesus is the ultimate thin space. He is born in a barn, and as a Jew, he is disenfranchised in his Roman-dominated world.  Unlike Paul, Jesus isn’t even a citizen in his own nation.  He’s from Nazareth, not exactly a cutting-edge city producing great thinkers.  Remember the infamous line from the Gospels, ‘What good can come from Nazareth?’ Jesus and his father are carpenters, more migrant workers than middle class.  He does not appear to hold any politically elite position.  He has no special education that we know of.  He depends on the generosity of others during his ministry. He is voluntarily homeless. He is crucified as a criminal, a political insurgent who threatens Rome’s power in the region and Judaism’s tests of orthodoxy.” (The Feast: How to Serve Jesus in a Famished World by Joshua Graves, Leafwood Publishers, Abilene, TX, 2009)

His explanation reminded me of a Sunday morning a few years ago when my son, Phillip, was playing the role of “Old Testament Guy” for childrens’ church. Each week, he would play the part of some different Old Testament character and lead the children out of “big church”, after a brief explanation of his character’s story to the whole congregation.  On this particular Sunday, Phillip was to play the role of Jesus, connecting the Old and New Testaments.  As we discussed his costume, I suggested that he wear a jacket and a tie, in order to be respectful in church.

Immediately, he gave me a funny look and countered with, “I’m wearing a plaid shirt, work pants and boots and a tool belt, Jesus was a carpenter!”

The “thin space”, Phillip. You nailed it (pun intended)!

--Posted by Mama O.