When we are present in the moment, we can see glimpses of the sacred in the secular.  I call these “holy ground” moments, referring to the story of Moses in the wilderness. Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush.  The narrator reports the following:

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses! ”And Moses said, “Here I am.”

⁵ “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:1-6, NIV)

As Moses approached, God told Moses to stop and to take off his sandals.  The ordinary ground was considered holy in those moments.  Moses obeyed God, took off his sandals and stood there.  Moses listened and then hid his face out of reverence for the most holy God.  What had been an ordinary day at the office (with the flock) was transformed into God’s calling of Moses to deliver God’s people from 400 years of Egyptian slavery.  God broke into the secular and Moses experienced the sacred.  A “take off your sandals” moment for sure!

Can you think of times in your life when you experienced the presence of God Almighty in the middle of the ordinary?  Think with me for a moment.  Why do these holy moments only happen on occasion?  I can only speak for myself, but perhaps they would happen more often if we were paying better attention in the moment.  What if we truly believed that at any given time, God would intercede, turning the secular into the sacred? 

But God is constantly at work around us . . . “The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5b).  Any ground can become holy ground! On April 27 and 28, Ovation! Chorus presented its spring performances “Singin’ in the Spring” at HRBC.  Ovation! Is a community-based chorus comprised of senior adults led by Rev. Paul Honaker and makes its home here at HRBC.  We are so very grateful!.  Ovation! (photo right) is one of the God-led worship programs that emerged from our HRBC Vision 2022 process.  Both the Worship and Outreach Implementation Teams are instrumental in this ministry!  We look forward to many years of partnership with Ovation!

During last week’s performance, Tom Patton, Meteorologist with WTVR-TV (News 6) was the guest emcee.  As Patton introduced the final number of the evening, You’ll Never Walk Alone, he commented that it was one of his favorites, from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Carousel.

Patton said that while it was written as a secular piece for a secular musical, it reminds him of how God walks with us even in the most difficult of circumstances. The first verse says, “Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart, and you’ll never walk alone.”

Patton (photo left) concluded that God can even use secular music to comfort us in our times of need. 

And he quoted Jesus who said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b)

Thank God for the opportunity to host Ovation! Chorus here at HRBC!  Thank God for allowing us to walk on holy ground.

God’s peace,