Some of my favorite places in creation come from the in-between spaces. In the space between night and day, the sun and atmosphere collide into a dazzling display of color. Waterfalls span the space between cliffs and the river below with astonishing power. Mangrove forests, beaches, and bayous exist entirely in the space between land and water.
The edges of things, the mixing spaces, the spaces where biomes collide, are the most interesting places on earth.
And yet, so often in our lives, we feel like we must exist in categories. We construct things to simply be black or white, right or wrong, this or that.
But what if we threw the boxes aside? God created night and day and everything in between. God created land and water and everything in between. God created you and me and everything in between.
So, what if we believed that God showed up not only in the black-and-white, but also in the shades of gray? What if we trusted that God shows up everywhere in between?
The season of Lent invites us into these in-betweens. Lent itself is a season of in-betweens. Jesus is on the road, yet he’s not there yet. Jesus is telling stories, but the crowds don’t understand. Jesus is leading a parade, but it’s not the one they expected. Jesus is risen, but the disciples can’t forget the cross.
This Lent, as we explore the Gospel of Luke, we remember that faith is more complex than this or that, black or white, true or false storytelling. In fact, our story of faith is a story of in-betweens, of messy middles and nuanced surprises.
We’ll begin with a familiar story, but what might seem like a tender polarity: stranger and neighbor. The lawyer asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Our words might be different, but we ask the same question in a million different ways: “Who is in and who is out?” “Who should I align myself with and who should I distance myself from?” “Who can I trust and who should I fear?”
But in his reply, Jesus seems less interested in answering who is the neighbor and instead spotlights what a neighbor does.
Join us as wade into the middle, trusting that God will meet us, and even surprise us, there.
See you on Sunday!
Grace and peace, Kimmy
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