Invitation on a Threshold
(Poem for a church porch)
You are standing on the threshold of a place
where many, through long ages,
have found peace.
Some have come, sad and sorrowful,
or in anguish,
and found comfort.
Some have come, simply needing
to draw apart from turmoil
in their own lives,
or from the dissonance of the world,
and felt relief.
Some have come to ponder momentous decisions
and have sensed wisdom well-up in them.
More have come for indefinable reasons
and left with a sense of calm.
To those who long for a few moments stillness,
they are on offer in the tranquility,
that many have sensed,
emanate from prayer-soaked walls
and lovingly-crafted beauty.
If you take the next step and pass through this door
you may be able to share in that peace,
to which you are most welcome. Come!
It is the peace of Jesus,
which it is said,
is beyond all understanding.