Thresholds are places of encounter. God uses the thresholds in our lives to get our attention, to let us know that the space, the time is pregnant with what is to come. In our story from the Hebrew Scriptures today, we find Abraham ready for an encounter with the Holy One. He has journeyed from Haran into Canaan at the Lord's command. He has pitched his tent by the oaks of Mamre, an ancient sacred place in the land. He was awake, sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day, when it was tradition to be resting inside. And he was at a threshold with no obstacles before him. When he looked up, he saw three men, and with traditional desert hospitality, he welcomed them to rest and be refreshed.

In the 15^(th) century, the Russian Iconographer Andrei Rublev used this scene for his icon of the Trinity.(check it out online) It shows the three figures, winged and haloed, sitting on chairs around a low table, each holding a long, thin rod in one hand. On the table is a dish shaped somewhat like a chalice, and the center figure’s fingers appear to be blessing it. In the background behind the center figure Is a tree, often supposed to be the oaks of Mamre. The icon is also known as “The Hospitality of Abraham”. At the point of this action, Abraham had not yet realized that the three were indeed the Lord God. Only as he heard him speaking. alone did he recognize the voice and learned the astonishing news that his barren wife Sarah was going to bear a son, an heir, the promised one.

Would that we could be so open and ready for the encounters that appear at various thresholds in our lives. We are not expectant; we don't even notice that we are crossing a threshold; the ears of our hearts are closed. If we want our consciousness to be raised to recognize the Oneness of all, we need to be alert and awaken ourselves for the encounters the Holy One is preparing for us.