Suilven's a place that gives more than a basket of trout. it opens the space it lives in and a heaven's revealed, in glimpses No accident, Norman MacCaig
Photograph: Suilven and Canisp, Assynt. Alan Partridge
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Romans 8:22-24a
Sweep and flow of story
Maybe a consideration of context is useful: the overarching narrative, the underground stream that flows through life, that informs my story, our story and is the story. In July we holidayed in Assynt, an area in the north west of Scotland, a place that was amok with dispute and rhetoric in the 19th century. History viewed geology, evolution and faith as battling giants. The extreme rock formations there may help too in being reminded of grand sweeps, of spiritual traditions, of movements and migrations that have caught us up and have painstakingly advanced the kingdom of God.
Faith, ancient and new
This sweep has been through slow but powerful thrusts displacing and also building upon the existing materials of faith. I hope that my faith and our faith may be sensitive too, to the times and places we are in that open up spaces to live in. Spaces that reveal heaven, in glimpses. Andrew Hook