Accompanied in the "in-between"

To experience your own version of last night’s bread for your journey, imagine you’re stopping by btw’s gathering space at the Crowne Plaza. After a few minutes of getting to know the others who’ve come, you’re all finding your way to chairs set in a circle with a small round table as part of the circle. There are plenty of candles on the table, along with a lovely round loaf of bread and a cup of wine.

Everyone’s invited to bring themselves into the moment, thinking about where we’ve come from and what we’re looking forward to in this time together. We muse a bit on our theme, on what it’s like to be in-between (see previous post, if you like). We have a moment of silence and some words of prayer are spoken. The central candle is lit, and we enter into a time of readings, beginning with a poem by Macrina Wiederkehr called The Sacrament of Waiting.
http://www.inwardoutward.org/?p=891

A candle is lit, and these words of prayer are spoken:
God, you sit with us when we are waiting. You accompany us when we are in-between. Open our eyes to all the amazing changes that go on in our natural world, changes that you are giving birth to. Help us to recognize you when you show up in the middle of our struggles. Help us to feel your healing power when we are in need, especially when we don’t know how we will get from here… to there… In your name we pray… amen.

The story of Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:6-11) is read, a candle lit, and a prayer offered.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%201:6-11;&version=65;
Living Lord Jesus, as your friends once watched you leave, wondering for a moment where you’d gone, so we sometimes wonder where you are and how we can keep following you. In our discussion tonight, speak to us through the words of each other, that we can know you are here… here with us, and going on ahead of us… so that we’ll know wherever we go, you will be there to greet us. In your name we pray… amen.

And a 3rd reading, this one from the word on the street by Rob Lacey:

Then Jesus takes them back down to Bethany. He lifts his hands up to the sky; he’s coaching them, inspiring them, motivating them, doing them good. He’s still in full flow when he starts hovering off the ground, going up gradually back to heaven They are mind-blown, blown over, overawed, awestruck, struck dumb, dumbfounded, found speechless. Eventually they go back to Jerusalem as instructed. They hardly leave HQ, spending every waking hour finding new ways for talking God up to anyone who’ll listen. (Luke 24:50-53)

God, when we are mind-blown and blown over by the changes in our lives, walk with us until we find equilibrium again. Lead us that we might find others who need your steadying hand… that we might offer that steadying love even as you have given it to us. In your name we pray… amen.

Here are some questions and comments that guided our discussion and may spark some reflection for you:
~ How does the poem urge you to think about being in-between, about dying to one piece of life while waiting for another?
~ Sometimes being in-between means waiting for something definite, and other times you don’t know what you’re waiting for. What times of your life have you been in such a place and what was it like?
~ In some cultures, transition times are clearly marked (child-to-adult, marriage, grieving, dying) and seen as sacred community events. How do we accompany one another in our culture? in our communities?

~ What questions came to mind as you read the two versions of Jesus’ ascension?
~ Take a look at this link to a painting from the Mafa Christian communities in North Cameroun. http://www.jesusmafa.com/index.htm Notice how Jesus’ followers are surrounding him (like a village/community) in his time of transition. This is also a time of transition for the followers; consider the symbolism of having Jesus in the middle of our in between times.

~ If Jesus was leaving his disciples, going from one place (earth) to another (heaven), then why were they so full of life and joy instead of grieving the loss? Could it be that they didn’t experience his absence at all, that instead of going to another place, Jesus went to another time? into God’s future? Is that what “the kingdom of heaven” really is, not “God’s place” as much as it is “God’s time”?

It’s a concept which is pretty hard for our brains to wrap around (someone said that the new Star Trek movie helps with this!), but it has some profound implications.
~ Being in God’s time -- God’s promised future when all is well and whole --Jesus leads us there, into the future, with confidence and hope (and the knowledge that we are never alone, no matter what craziness we are going through)
~ God’s future breaks in upon our time when we experience Jesus’ presence, through communities like by the way and others, and especially through our sharing of the bread and wine that is Jesus’ life for us and in us.
~ We don’t know much about what the future will bring, but we can know that the future is safe in Jesus’ hands. That’s why the disciples could be so full of joy, even as they experienced persecution and other challenging hurdles… because they knew that Jesus was with them in a way much more powerful and empowering than they ever knew when Jesus was visibly present!

Believe me, there was lots more good stuff where this came from, so rich was the conversation (and the meal) that we shared. But this gives you the gist.

Peace and joy to you through all your in-between times. Please feel free to join in this discussion, to write any thoughts you may have. Consider yourself part of by the way’s journey, to accompany one another and reach out to our world, whether you are present on-line or able to be present in-person on Thursday nights.

Kari Henkelmann Keyl