A Thin Place
There is a scene in the movie “The Sound of Music” that always puzzled me. The Von Trapp children do a musical number in front of the staircase of their expansive Austrian mansion to say goodnight to all the guests attending their father’s party. In various groupings, they sing the song “So Long, Farewell” along with some light choreography as they each leave the party and climb the stairs.
Now the children’s performance was quite impressive, but that is to be expected being that Sister Maria (Julie Andrews) probably had them rehearsing the number day and night for the past many weeks. You never know when you might need a well-rehearsed musical number to escape your father’s dull party or to perform when the Nazis are taking over your country and you need a quick escape from the Salzburg Music Festival. (Either way, you can never be too prepared.)
Children’s performance aside, it’s the performance of the guests at the party that baffles me. For the last verse, Gretl, the littlest Von Trapp, takes her place alone on the steps and sings…
[Gretel]: The sun has gone
To bed and so must I
[All Children]: So long, farewell
Auf Wiederseh'n, goodbye
Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye
[Guests - in perfect harmony & unison while simultaneously raising their arms to wave goodbye in perfectly choreographed movement): Goodbye!!!
How did the guests know their part? Now, I know it was only one word, but it was sung in the right key, in flawless harmony! Their hands all raised with the precision of a synchronized swim team. The choreographed wave was worthy of the Queen on the balcony greeting her subjects.
Did these people attend a rehearsal? Had they done this before? Do they tour around to different parties with these kids doing the same number each night? These are questions I want answered.
I bring all of this up because I was witness to a similar scene the other weekend. Michele and I attended a lovely wedding in Waco, Texas. A Young Life staff person and friend, Jordan Mocek, was getting married to a young man, Case Kooy, whom she met at Young Life’s Crooked Creek Ranch in Colorado.
It was a beautiful wedding, simple yet elegant. The bride and the groom could not stop smiling at each other. The groomsmen and bridesmaids must have numbered 20+ as they stood together at the small front of the venue, smiles on their faces as well.
When it came time for the couple to celebrate communion together, a young man with an acoustic guitar and a young woman with a violin played a worship song, “The Goodness of God.”
“… I love You, Lord
Oh, Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I've been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God”
That’s when it happened. The congregation started singing. I began to look around and there were no words on a screen, no programs with lyrics, and no hymnals to be found. Somehow they all knew the words. And this was not an easy lyric like the Von Trapp guests singing, “Goodbye.” This song had 332 words! (I counted.)
The singing started faintly, but soon gained strength from the crowd.
“… And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God”
Slowly each of the groomsmen and bridesmaids were singing. The bride and groom joined in. Finally, the officiant’s lips began to slowly move. He was singing too!
“… 'Cause Your goodness is running after, it's running after me
Your goodness is running after, it's running after me
With my life laid down, I'm surrendered now
I give You everything…”
I immediately thought, “Did I miss a rehearsal?” Was there homework I had missed to learn this song before the ceremony? How does everyone know this song?
And then I, from my chair, with no lights shining bright,
Sat wondering and wondering, "Is this really right?"
The song came without fog, without booming or flash,
No screens filled with lyrics, no drum set to crash.
And I puzzled and puzzled 'till my puzzler was sore,
Then I thought of something I had not before:
What if worship, I thought, doesn’t need all the show?
What if worship, perhaps, is where hearts freely flow?
(Sorry, I read a lot of Dr. Seuss as a kid.)
And then I came to my senses and soaked in the moment. I soaked in the words.
“Your goodness is running after, it's running after me”
These family and friends who had gathered were singing truth over this young couple and they were soaking it in. It was contagious. You could not help but smile.
In my eyes, God’s goodness needs to run no more. Time stood still. God’s goodness covered and surrounded the bride and groom. You could not miss it. I did not want it to end.
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
He will quiet you by his love;
He will exult over you with loud singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)
As I described this moment to my friend and counselor, Bill Bush, he said, “That’s what we call a thin place.”
I had to look it up.
'The Celtic saints often referred to somewhere as a “thin place”. This referred to when the spiritual atmosphere of a location made it easy to connect with God, almost as though there is no barrier between heaven and earth…” (celticglory.com)
It was a “thin place” indeed.
Why do I share this story? Well, the more weddings I attend the more I find myself asking the question, “Are we really wedding guests or are we just movie extras?”
The “thin place” that could be at each wedding ceremony and that we all long for seems overly thick with multiple photographers and an entire film crew eager to capture the social media perfect moment. The bride and groom are hard to see through the media entourage and multiple wedding coordinators.
I wonder how often in our daily lives we miss what God has for us in the present moment while trying to capture it for viewing in the future or sharing on the internet?
This was a moment we all leaned into. Two young people, who met while giving their lives away so that others might know Jesus, were becoming one. It was sacred and holy, not spoiled by the trappings of this world.
I know I am guilty of missing these “thin places” and holy moments again and again. My life is overly saturated with meetings, deadlines, anxiety, stress, social media, and too much noise creating an insurmountable barrier between Heaven and Earth. The weight of it all can crush your soul and muffle God’s voice to below a whisper.
I need the “thin places” and I need to do whatever it takes not to miss them. Schedules need to be cleared, and excessive cargo needs to be jettisoned.
If I had proclaimed myself too busy to make the 3-hour round trip drive to Waco to attend this wedding, I would have missed the holy moment. I’m glad I didn’t.
How many holy moments have you missed lately because you were too burdened, busy, or distracted?
That’s got to change.
Maybe God’s goodness would not have to run after us like the song says if we would just slow down or just stop.
While Michele and I may have given Jordan and Case a wedding gift (a lovely cutting board), they were the ones who gave the true gift that day. They provided a thin place to all their guests.
So thank you, Jordon and Case Kooy for the gift. And it’s good to know that’s not the first miracle Jesus performed at a wedding and it certainly won’t be His last.