So as our trip is heading south, (I mean literally not figuratively) we set our course for Stonehenge. Now we have seen lots of old churches and castles that are all 800 years old. But the thought of seeing something that was erected 2,000 years ago is pretty compelling.
But as we had breakfast with a couple of know it alls (the biggest downside of the B&B life…everyone thinks their interesting) they tell us how overdone Stonehenge is…too commercial…and not accessible anymore. So they happen to mention this place called Avebury (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avebury).
So as soon as we could break away from Cliffie Claven and Chatty Cathy, we head south. After seven or eight missed turns (a good day) we arrive in this little tiny town of Avebury.
No one can really prepare you for what you find when you arrive.
I mean we saw some other stone circles that I swear some farmers got together and moved with their tractors just to get the rocks out of their fields and then told everyone they had been there forever. But these were really really cool. Some of these stones had been standing in this field 3,000 years before the birth of Jesus (that is now 5,000 years old). 1,500 years before the Temple in Jerusalem was constructed, these worshippers of something arranged these giant stones into a very detailed pattern for some unknown reason.
Not only were the stones standing in the field, but they had obviously dug a deep gully around the perimeter and seemingly piled all the dirt into a burm around the gully. What were they doing? What were they thinking. What were they worshipping?
Unfortunatly, many of the stones were torn down by marauding tribes and by the church. The stones were used by the local church to construct their building to bring glory to God. I saw their church and frankly, I was more inspired by the stones.
When I see these stones I don’t see a bunch of pagans dancing around naked amongst the stones I some pagan rituals. I see people who were earnestly looking to explain this inner desire to know and touch the sacred within each and every person and the great wonders of the magnificent world all around us.
In Romans, Paul says that we can see the hand of God reveled in what was created in nature. David said the Heavens declare the Glory of God. These people found a way to express their awe and wonder by creating a natural temple made with the most majestic items they could find, stones, earth, water, grasses. And then the part of their nature that is like Creator God assembled them into a massive temple to the God they maybe never had a chance to know. Their sincerity and commitment could never be called into question…albeit misguided from an eternal perspective.
Why is it that we have to destroy everything that doesn’t fit neatly into our little box? Why can’t we recognize the God qualities in others? Why can’t the church see people and their practices like God does…feeble attempts to explain the sacred in each one of us. When we meet the source of that sacredness, it does put it all into perspective…but I still don’t get it right all the time. I would hope God’s grace will steer and guide me rather than destroy me. Trust me, I am counting on it.
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