Making sense of the holy can be a daunting task. By definition, an encounter with the holy challenges our perceptions and can shake our sense of self to the very core. With this, it is little wonder that these experiences tend to come in high on our terror meter. When we speak of God showing up, it is natural for us to use phrases like “when God shows up”. Theologically speaking, statements like this fundamentally miss the point. God is with us. Period. The sense that God comes and goes has more to do with our perceptions of seeing/experiencing God than with where God is actually present.

The reality that God is with us is the bedrock of our faith. When everything/anything else disappears, God is still present. And yet, because of the limitation of our humanity, it is all too easy to become separated from or untethered from God’s presence and feel like we are alone. Thankfully because God is always present, our sense of isolation can be and often is pierced by God’s presence. In these glorious moments, when our awareness is transformed, we can see new possibilities of life and faith. In these moments, our perceptions of God, ourselves, and one another can be changed.