Recently Katy did her annual prayer retreat down in Glendalough, an ancient monastic city from the 6th century. As she reread the book, Celtic Way of Evangelism, she was fascinated that she was standing in one of the very sites mentioned in the book. (Great read btw, highly recommend.)
The gate pictured above is the last remaining piece of the old wall that encircled Glendalough. What was unique about this particular city, is that while most monastic settlements in the world at that time wanted to keep their residents secluded from the society, the Glendalough city was a community that encouraged people to go out and come in. However, when you came in, you knew the way of life was different. You had to leave your weapons at this gate. Coming through this gate was a symbol of leaving your old life into a new way of living, solving problems with prayer rather than violence. Within this city there were business, schools, theological studies, and even prayers for every activity including making fires and washing dishes.
That’s one of the many reasons we do our annual prayer retreats at this location. We are reminded each time by these gates that God isn’t in the distant far away place. He’s in every breath, every activity (sacred and secular), every thought. He will help us navigate this life through prayer and practicing His presence.
I encourage all of us to take a few moments throughout the day to remember that God is with us. He isn’t left inside our church walls when we leave on a Sunday. We love and appreciate you all. We pray God’s presence is felt and known in every breath you take today.
