"To dare the incarnation; to take the road in silence,
To know the ascension; to will the resurrection.
The song shimmers in the golden people."
~Aidan Andrew Dun

Incarnation. Ascension. Resurrection. These are all
‘churchy’ words. They are not used in the course of conversation for most
people. But since I travel in ‘churchy’ circles I find they are often implied
if not always spoken. Incarnation: God with and within us. Ascension: a reaching
toward heaven. Resurrection: the life that comes after a time that seemed
hopeless and dead.

I have spent the last two days at a beautiful retreat center
in central Minnesota.
The days have been full of lively conversation, soul searching questions,in the
company of people I love and whose wisdom fills me to over flowing, that sustains
me along my spiritual path. Looking out my window on the landscape outside I
notice, not only the freshness of new snow and the steadfastness of the birch
and oaks, but also the tracks of the small animals that call this place home throughout the seasons.
Those who live year round in community here have been quiet hosts preparing our
food, simple and healthy, and have moved about in the shadows making our stay
comfortable and welcoming. As I have been aware, they have met in prayer twice
daily, and I have no doubt that they have prayed for all of us who have pulled
away from our busy city lives to get only a taste of their lives in this wooded
and sacred space. They have followed a call on their lives, just as each of us has, who will pack up in a few hours and drive away. The call is different yet stems
from the same source: incarnation.

While we have spent the last two days in conversation and
learning from one another, there has been laughter, much laughter. We have
listened to the deep questions of one another, been challenged by statements
that may have been outside our comfort zone, and embraced the passions that
bring life to one individual, passions that may not be our own but we share in
out of love for the other person. We have created art and been led by the
loving hand of those more skilled, making our work appear better than we could
ever have done on our own. We have reached toward heaven…….ascension.

Sitting in circle after circle we have shared those deep
parts of our lives that have gone fallow, the places where hurts have worn the
fabric thin with its presence. We have wondered about our futures, given advice
and encouragement, allowed silent prayers to rise for the places that bring us
the most pain. Staking our lives on the hope beyond hope that life will spring
from even the darkest places, we have ‘willed the resurrection’.

‘Churchy’ words for ‘churchy’ people? Maybe. But something
tells me that these are the words that fly just under the radar of every life
whether they are known or not, whether they attend church or not. Passing us
every day on the freeway, in the hallway, at the bus stop, in the checkout
line, are people who carry the spark of Divine within, who are reaching out for
a little touch of heaven, while staking their lives on the premise that, out of
whatever holds them captive, new life is just about to be born. We are all
golden people…..shimmering.