The methods and locations of God’s encounters with humanity throughout scripture are endless. What they all have in common is that they are acts of God’s gracious initiative. If the church is to live out her mission as a locus of God’s presence or a primary point of access to the spring of living water flowing forth from God’s throne, we must learn to become more aware of God’s presence, especially in the most unexpected places.

Consider the example of Moses. God chooses to be present in the flames of a burning bush on the mountain in the Sinai wilderness. In this way, God takes the initiative to make possible a divine encounter with humanity. Like Jacob, Moses was not seeking an audience with God. In fact, one might say he was running away in fear after having murdered the Egyptian taskmaster. Also like Jacob, Moses found himself in an “in-between space”, which tend to be some of the most “thin places” in our lives. What was required for Moses to encounter God’s presence in this divinely created thin space was paying attention…