Thin Spaces—From Encounter to Empowerment

Texts:  Exodus 24:12-18 and Matthew 17:1-13

Every one of us longs for those “thin spaces”—moments when the ordinary feels touched by the holy, when God’s presence feels near, real, and breathtaking. It might happen in nature, in music, in silence, in laughter, or when love surprises us. These moments—fleeting though they may be — are real, and they shape us.

The story of Moses on Mount Sinai and Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain are ancient versions of this longing. Moses is enveloped in cloud and mystery, called not for a spiritual high but for the slow work of formation. The law he receives is meant to form and shape a people — people who are to manifest justice, mercy, and compassion in the world.

Centuries later, Jesus invites three friends up a mountain, where he is transfigured before their eyes. It’s a wild, luminous moment — so powerful that Peter wants to freeze it in time, to build dwellings and stay put. But the voice from the cloud interrupts: “This is my Son, the Beloved… Listen to him!”

And just as quickly as it came, the vision fades. The mountaintop experience gives way to the long walk back down the mountain — where confusion, chaos, and need are waiting. 

These stories remind us: thin spaces, mountaintop experiences, aren’t for escaping the world, hoarding spiritual highs, or reinforcing our certitudes. They are meant to change us, to prepare us for the real work of life — showing up with hope and courage, living God’s Dream of love and justice right where we are.

Maybe you’ve had such a moment—a sunrise, a conversation, a blessing—that opened you up, unsettled you, changed you. Let that moment do its work. Let it send you back into the world more open, more courageous, more willing to be light in dark places.

Don’t cling to the mountaintop high. Trust that God walks with you in the ordinary, in the messy, in the valley below.

That’s where the Dream of God is lived out, and that’s where you are needed most.