Landscapes of the Sacred 1

When looking at Christianity at a whole, we can notice a recurring theme of ordinary ideas or objects being made extraordinary by holy things.

The idea that ordinary actions or ideas can be made extraordinary by means of faith is a key concept to understand when comparing communication and journey. Belden C. Lane touches on this concept in his book “Landscapes of the Sacred,” on page 65. He writes, “How does one learn to see with their eyes? Whence comes that double magic of recognizing the ordinary as extraordinary and the extraordinary as ordinary? Standing knee-deep in miracles myself, I often glimpse only a world of profane commonness. The turn of focus that brings the holy into view seldom occurs.” These questions posed by Lane spark a counterintuitive mindset. The idea forces one to step outside of their comfort zone to answer. How can something be the exact opposite of what it claims to be? Lane’s example in the book is of Death Valley. To some, it may be considered an ordinary landscape. However, by a “metaphorical twist of insight,” the ordinary landscape can be viewed as the “palm of God’s hand”. While this may seem to be a stretch for some people, those who can think abstractly could relate to this spiritual metaphor.

“In Christian thought, the one great practical truth of the incarnation is that the ordinary is no longer at all what it appears.” This excerpt from Lane’s novel, “Landscapes of the Sacred” strongly relates ordinary vs. extraordinary to Christian theology. Lane suggests that “common things, common actions, common relationships are all granted new definition because the holy has once and for all become ordinary in Jesus Christ.” In simple Christian theology, God gave his only son to die for the sins of mankind. His son was presented in the simplest of forms: man. Lane’s excerpt suggests that what was once common before the birth of Jesus, has now been changed in the sense that what was holy (the son of God) has been made common.