It is great to be back in the woods.

I loved my travels through Europe, but on Sunday morning I felt quite happy and excited to be back with you, seeking and celebrating the beloved community. I hope the church is a sacred space for you. For some of us it is also a place of work and devotion. For some of us it can even become a place of stress, but its central role should always be as a sanctuary.

Long ago groves of trees were often dedicated to the honor and power of divinity in the world. In ancient Semitic lands groves were dedicated to the goddess Asherah and in Gaul the druids set aside certain woods as places of worship. To this day sacred groves are still scattered all over India, as are groves around Shinto sites in Japan, or groves in Africa, such as the Osogbo grove in Nigeria, and the Buoyem grove in Ghana.

In Europe I stayed within the cities, so groves were rare. Yet one of my favorite moments in Rome was sitting with my wife in the shade beneath two towering trees on Tiber isle reading quietly. Though many fellow tourists crossed the bridges to the island, very few came down to that lower point, and the sound of the city was completely drowned by the roar of the Tiber River. Centuries ago a temple of healing had been on that site. Some of its stones including the carven image of Aesculapius’ medical caduceus are still visible on one side of the foundation of Saint Bartholomew’s basilica. There is also a small hospital on the upper end of the isle. It was for us a deeply restful and healing place after days of roaming a busy city.

I hope this church and these sacred woods provide the same sense of rest and restoration, or at least a reminder of the powers of healing and wholeness that are woven into the web of being.

Peace,
Thomas