“Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”  (Exodus 3:5)

I stand where once the pioneers stood,

               Upon the works of human hands.

Hands rough and calloused over time.

               Yet smooth and soft in their embrace--

Their embrace leaving the imprint of one’s soul upon another.



The pioneer spirit. What is this?

One free to be. Free to roam.

Part of the ever-changing landscape of time.

Feet that walked upon weary land.

Building now what we hold dear.

My eyes gaze down upon the ground.

The flooring grand by man’s design.

The artisan laying each tile in place.

Calling us forward. Step by step.

Memories flash before our eyes of all who stood the course of time.

Weddings—Baptisms—Funerals—Eucharist. Our own recollections.

And the Hand of God reaches out.

Inviting us ever deeper into His grace.

The pioneer spirit continues to move.

Sending forth its roots in ways yet unknown.

And there will be ones such as us;

Whom in the future when we are dust—

will stand upon the stones we lay

As we once journeyed on our way.

Let Us Pray

Lord Jesus, you have laid the stones beneath our feet through calloused hands of yesteryear; turning even the ordinary into sacred ground.

As we walk upon this beauty, may we also walk the winding path of faith, trusting that even when we don’t see the full design you are the Master Artist.

Amen.