The Diamond Country

As a part of my sabbatical, I spent some time studying ancient Celtic Christianity. I learned that one of the major themes is that Christ is present deep within everything that has being. The poet Kenneth White calls this light that is within all things, “The Diamond Country.” And he raises the question: can you see it? 

Several weeks ago, I went on a silent retreat and spent four days at Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery in South Carolina. And I spent that time looking back on my sabbatical: what did I learn about myself, the church, and my ministry? And, I reflected on when and where I had noticed or experience God’s presence. And I wrote this in my journal…

I felt the presence of the Spirit in worship, especially in the sanctuary of Saint Giles in Edinburgh, where John Knox was once the pastor. As the choir began to sing that Pentecost Sunday, it was overwhelming, and I felt the tears well up in my eyes. Centuries of saints and sinners worshiping in that same place.

I felt it on the island of Iona when we were in the ancient abbey for evening worship. The guest pastor who was Dutch embodied a deep sense of joy. I could see it in the lines etched on his face around his eyes. As we shared communion with pilgrims from all over the world, I could feel the Spirit binding us together. And I felt a connection with my church back home across the ocean. It was almost mystical. I could feel within the walls a thousand years of prayers. 

I experienced it while surfing on the waters off Northern Scotland in that dramatic setting, and so often while out hiking while reflecting on the “Christ infused” beauty of creation, in the waterfalls, the sheer cliffs, the dense forests, and windswept plains.

I felt it at the monastery at Mepkin Abbey, in the regular rhythms of daily worship, and as I walked the labyrinth at sunset. I saw Christ in the eyes of one of the monks who at every worship service was completely given over in prayer.

And maybe most powerfully, I sensed Christ through the hospitality we received from my friend Alistair and his wife Shirley who welcomed us into their home in Scotland for four nights, fed us, and cared for us. I have this memory seared in my mind of the two of them sitting at the piano one evening – singing a mix of contemporary Christian songs and old favorite hymns. I thought about the friendship we’ve shared over twenty years of ministry – and all the ups and downs. And I felt overwhelming gratitude… And the Spirit… Diamond country…

The ancient Christian Celts make the claim that the eternal is ever seeping through the physical. I wonder where you have seen it…

Let us pray: Tune our hearts and open our eyes, O Christ, to your presence in the world around us. And as we do, may we give thanks and praise. Amen.