20th November 2013 | Leah Kostamo | 1 comments

Holy Ground

When Moses stood at the burning bush God told him to take off his shoes because the place where he was standing was holy ground. Holy. Ground.

Holy ground © Betsy Jean

Holy ground © Betsy Jean

What made it holy, of course, was the presence of God, manifested in flaming shrubbery. But what if God, being everywhere (as Christian doctrine teaches us), makes every place holy? What if every bush dances with the flames of God’s presence, but our eyes are just not calibrated to see it?

And…

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus caked a blind man’s eyes with mud and then prayed for that man to receive sight? Why bother with the mess of mud when a simple prayer would do?

Isn’t it interesting that the word “adam” comes from the Hebrew word meaning “red clay”? Adam – Mud Man. Earthling.

Biologist Hyman Hartman claims that the reason there is life on earth, and not, say, on the Moon or Mars, is the existence of clay. His claims are complicated, having to do with iron and organic compounds and crystal structures, but in essence, he claims it’s clay that holds the blueprint for life. Isn’t that interesting?

Look down.

You are standing.

On holy ground.

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Categories: Reflections
About Leah Kostamo

Leah Kostamo is an earthkeeper and storyteller who is passionate about helping others live lightly on the earth from a place of joy and hope. For the past twelve years Leah and her husband Markku have spearheaded the work of A Rocha in Canada. She is the author of Planted: a Story of Creation, Calling and Community.

View all posts by Leah Kostamo (11)

One response to “Holy Ground”

  1. Júlio Reis says:

    ‘What I stand for
    Is what I stand on.’
    (Wendell Berry)