Sermon: Entering the Liminal Space Preached for Wollaston Congregational Church On February 24th, 2021 Scriptures: 2 Kings 2:1-12 and Mark 9:2-9 This morning, on Transfiguration Sunday, we come to the end of the liturgical season of Epiphany and we stand on the threshold of the season of Lent. We are at an in-between place. We could rush on, planning for what we will do next: maybe our Lenten program, Holy Week observances, or even our Easter celebrations. Or we could stay here for a moment. In many ways, staying here for a moment is the most difficult thing to do, because this is a liminal space, a thin place. And this kind of place can be an excruciating place to stop. This morning we heard of two encounters in thin places or liminal spaces. Thin places are the places where heaven and earth seem to meet. And liminal spaces are the spaces in-between the “this” and the “that”. In many ways liminal spaces are spaces of emptiness. And at the same time, because of their emptiness of earthly things, there is a fullness of God. In our scriptures, thin places or liminal spaces are often found in the wilderness, or on a mountaintop. These are not the tourist-trap places of scenic overlooks we often associate with mountaintops. They are places of separateness, and silence, places of pause. Dwelling in these places can be excruciating for us who like to know where we are going and what we are doing. And, as it is often noted in the scriptures, being in the raw presence of God is unbearable for most human beings. The first story we heard today was of the ancient Hebrew Prophet Elijah and his successor, Elisha. Elijah has not lived a comfortable life. He has often found himself on the wrong side of those in power: the kings and queens of his time. Speaking up for the God of Israel has been quite a terrifying calling. And he has had to flee, he has had to hide. Elijah has lived most of his life “on the other side,” on the east side of the River Jordan across from the land given to his people. At one point, Elijah spends 40 days and nights in the wilderness, like Jesus after him. At the end of this time, the angel of the Lord tells Elijah to stand on Mount Horeb, where Moses received the law, because the Lord was about to pass by. As Elijah shelters in a cave in this desolate liminal space, a whirlwind passes by, and then an earthquake, and then a great fire passes by. But God is not in any of those elements. And so, after it is all over, the Lord comes to him in the still small voice of silence. The silence causes Elijah to wrap his face in his mantle, in awe of God’s presence. Elijah will not live forever, and so he is given an apprentice, Elisha, to continue his work when he is gone. Not long afterwards, Elijah and Elisha are traveling together with a company of many prophets. The prophets keep interrupting their journey to tell Elisha that Elijah will soon be taken away from him. This is not what he wants to hear, Elisha tells them to be silent. And yet, he knows this is the truth. Elisha refuses to leave Elijah, who plans to journey on alone, and so the two of them cross the Jordan - to the other side - by means of a miraculous parting of waters. Now they are together in a liminal space, Elisha asks that he might inherit a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Perhaps he wants an extra serving of Elijah’s courage and Elijah’s profound relationship with God. Elijah tells him this will only be possible if Elisha watches Elijah being taken. And then, as if on cue, a chariot and horses of fire appear between the two men, and Elijah is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha stands watching in awe and in grief. He has experienced the most excruciating pain of the liminal place, seeing his beloved mentor being taken up. And at the same time, he has passed the test. He will be blessed with Elijah’s spirit. He will take up Elijah’s mantle. He has graduated on to the next stage in his life as a prophet. In our gospel reading this morning, Jesus takes three disciples: Peter, James and John, up onto a mountaintop. This happens toward the end of Jesus ministry in the gospel of Mark. Jesus has just revealed to the disciples that he will undergo great suffering, be killed, and in three days rise again. The disciples are still digesting this weighty news. The mountaintop is a liminal space for Jesus and the disciples. They are far from the crowds and in a silent place. This is a place where heaven comes close to earth, and in the moment that happens Jesus becomes transfigured before the disciples. His clothes shine brilliantly white, he glows with the glory of God that has been hidden just beneath the surface up until now. And then the disciples see a vision of Moses and Elijah, the Hebrew Bible “greats”, talking with Jesus. The coming together of heaven and earth is indescribable. To simply stand and observe in silence is excruciating for Peter, and so he rushes to do something. He wants to build shelters: places to commemorate the moment that is still happening. But Peter’s suggestion is overruled, as a cloud overshadows the group and a voice speaks: “This is my Son, the Beloved: listen to him!” There is no doubt of God’s mighty presence in these two scenes. Jesus glows, shines with the light of God, he is transfigured. A chariot and horses of fire come down and Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind up to heaven. The experience is not the mountaintop, nor the east side of the Jordan. The experience is God. This isn’t about the view, it’s about what happens there in that thin place. Next week, Lent will have begun, and we will start our study and sermon series on the book "The Mister Rogers Effect: 7 Secrets to Bringing Out the Best in Yourself and Others from America's Beloved Neighbor" by Anita Kuhnley. But today, I’d like to give a little sneak preview from the Mr. Rogers book, because it fits so well with our stories today. Kuhnley writes about the 7 secrets, or habits, that Fred Rogers used when communicating with adults and children, in order to better listen and understand. The chapter on secret number 3 is entitled “Pause and Think: Take Time to Discover What is Inside.” This chapter begins with a quote from the book “The Little Prince”: “Here is my secret. It’s quite simple: one sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.” [1] The author reflects on the way Fred Rogers communicated with people by making time to pause and think when they had spoken. He made use of whitespace like a book. Whitespace is the part of a page that is intentionally left blank, so that the text or pictures on the page are more readable, and easier to take in. Fred Rogers used pauses and silence to sit with others in their stories, even the painful ones. The author says that in Mr. Rogers’ view it is essential to “Have compassion for each person’s inside story, even if it is a painful one” and recommends sitting with them in their pain. [2] Rogers had developed a way of sitting in the liminal space that many of us find intolerable. Too often we are like Peter on the mountaintop, quick to rush with the doing and the fixing. We want to fill the silence with chatter, or the empty space with fullness. This was my experience in my nuclear family as a child. I come from a family of hustle and bustle. My mom has always been brisk in everything she does. She is quite efficient at making and ending conversation. Sharing news is the purpose of a phone call, and when all the news is shared the conversation is over. I appreciated her style for many years. It made life easier for me. I didn’t need to make the effort to make conversation, I’d sit back and listen to the chatter with my grandmother and aunts, enjoying the entertainment. I am naturally quiet, so when I got older I’d always ask my mom to go along with me when I went to visit family members. That way I didn’t have to think about what to say. Gradually I realized that my mom’s conversation style does not suit my own pace. I discovered that if I didn’t have someone there, filling in all the spaces in the conversation, I’d learn much more. When I sat with an elderly relative: a grandparent, or one of my aunts, we’d stare at the fire for a few minutes, or swish the tea leaves in our cups. Then new memories would surface. New things would come to light. They’d share with me their fears, perhaps they’d even weep. I’d assure them that it was OK with me. I learned I could actually sit with the discomfort. It would be better for us both in the long term. This was one of the ways I learned how I would be a minister. It was a strange revelation, that I had this gift within me all along. I just needed to sit for a while in those liminal spaces for it to emerge. And so, as we stand at threshold of Lent, this Transfiguration Sunday, I wonder what is your liminal space? What is God’s invitation to you, to pause, to come into the silence, to listen? It may be the pause you need to determine who you will be in your next stage of life. It may be the silence you need, to hear God calling you beloved, as you wrestle with fears and doubts. It may be the pause you need, as you wait for difficult news. And so, I invite you to visit the liminal spaces often, over the next six weeks. There is no need to be afraid, because it is God who meets us there. May all God’s people say, Amen [1] Kuhnley, Anita Knight . The Mister Rogers Effect (p. 81). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. [2] Kuhnley, Anita Knight . The Mister Rogers Effect (p. 85). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
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