The Holy Place to which the writer to the Hebrews referred in our epistle reading was the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple. It would have been not too far from where Jesus was sitting “opposite the treasury” in our gospel for today. It was the place of God’s presence for the Jews until the temple was destroyed in 70 C.E. and the Jews were dispersed around the world.

But where is the Holy Place for us; where do we experience the Divine Presence? Scripture gives us clues for our search, showing us where our forebears discovered the Holy Place. Jacob, running for his life (Gen.27:41-45), stopped to sleep overnight in the wilderness where he had his ladder to heaven dream. On awakening he realized that, for him, that place was “the house of God, the gate of heaven.” (Gen.28:10-18) Unsettled places, wilderness areas, deserts lacking the distractions of urban life have long been places of retreat where folks have experienced God’s presence; witness Elijah (I Kgs.19:4-18), the early Desert Mothers and Fathers of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria who followed the way of Jesus. People in all religions make pilgrimages to places made holy by folks’ experience of the presence of God: Mecca for Muslims, Israel—“next year in Jerusalem” for Jews, and the Via Dolorosa for Christians, along with countless other Christian sites. Santiago de Compostela, the legendary burial site of St. James of Jerusalem; Assisi and environs invoking the life of St. Francis; Iona where St. Columba exiled himself; and closer to home, Hayneville, Alabama, the site of the martyrdom of Jonathan Daniels in the Civil Rights struggle in the 60”s all are holy places where pilgrims have journeyed to find the presence of God.

The latter example serves to remind us, as God told Moses and Joshua: “the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” (Ex.3:5, Josh.5:15) Here and now, right where we are is holy ground. This is our Holy Place. May we be aware of God’s enfolding, indwelling presence in every moment of every day.