"What if we were to breathe and live within the reality that this life is wonderful - that we are loved and we can love deeply."
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Christmas on the Edge
Today he sets the center on the edge;
The edge of town, the outhouse of the inn
The fringe of empire, far from privilege
And power, on the edge and outer spin
Of turning worlds, a margin of small stars
That edge of galaxy itself light years
From some unguessed at cosmic origin.
Today he sets the centre at the edge.
And from this day our world is re-alighned;
A tiny seed unfolding in the womb
Becomes the source from which we all unfold
And flower into being. We are all healed,
The end begins, The tomb becomes a womb
For now in him all things are re-aligned.
- Malcolm Guite
Malcolm read this poem tonight at church and it reminded me of where God continually finds us. "On the edge" seems to be a condition of ontological proportions rather than an occasional hang out (damn it). Darkness seems to be presupossed in receiving light, barrenness for the promised child - it is just like that. If the edge is where the master comes then it seems like you and I are in the 'right' condition to receive this one who makes all things new. May you know the God who moves to the edges of our humanity, to the fringes of our powerlessness, to the margins of our being. May it be so for you and yours tonight.
Dear Bono,
I woke up on the wrong side of bed today. It is amazing how a few short hours can make so much difference inside. This helped a bit over the lunch hour.
Hey Bono,
Waiting for confirmation that you arrived safe and sound back in Cambridge.
Holly just left with Eli and Davis on the way to church this morning. Clayton is fighting a fever and a cough so I am home with him. The house is quiet and I am enjoying the peace.
Last night, Holly and I went to dinner with Craig and Amy. We came back to the house after the boys were in bed and had a Ted group. It was a very typical group, except two of our favorite people weren't there. But as you suggested in your reply to the first post, you two were more than there in some very important ways. Anyway, I was grateful for it and am amazed at how salvation can come to different folks at the same time through relationship (just like what I experience in our friendship).
I hope you find yourself in a good place as you take back to the UK the things you experienced here. May you be strengthened to know we all feel we have shared in your being sent to follow the leading you have.
I read a post I liked on Experimental Theology, especially the part where he called, "Bullcrap"on the answer he'd been given that he knew was unsatisfactory. So then, after I read that this morning, I thought again about last night with Holly, Craig and Amy and also about my few days with you last week...
I believe that one of the things that happens in our friendship, and when we sit with Ted, and in a Ted group is that sins are forgiven. I am pretty sure I believe that what we are doing in some way is following the example of Jesus and forgiving the sins of others as part of the proclamation that he is Lord. If Jesus was forgiving sins and proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel before, during, and after the crucifixion, then we are proclaiming the Good News (and his Lordship) when we stand in front of (or sit across from or next to) each other and proclaim God's love and forgiveness over the very things we are most shamed by and afraid of. It is as if because Jesus is Lord, we can now say, "We know you are loved, accepted, forgiven and empowered by the very spirit of God", and then we can back that up by sharing in carrying the burdens together.
Long Pause and deep breath...
On a much lighter note,
I also saw this video that you may have seen. It is a typical year end video (that I am a sucker for) but uses a Mat Kearney song, Sooner Or Later. It is from his newest album, Young Love.
Much Love,
The Bishop
PS Now that you are back in front of a real computer, scroll down and checkout the So Cruel solo. :-)
You have been gone about twenty four hours and to this point, the mojo from seeing you still outweighs the pain of your leaving. Thank you so much for the visit, the talks, your blessings spoken over my boys, and the reminder that we are never really that far apart. I have to admit, our friendship and time together is actually better than the hype I create inside my head about it. I am amazed at the power it has to change my perspective, my disposition, and my reality.
I have felt, since you originally moved to Cambridge, a bit of frustration at our inability to connect on a consistent and timely fashion. I have struggled at times with my desire to connect in the face of time zones and commitments that make it difficult to do so. Connection to you is so powerful that the absence of connection sometimes itself becomes constricting. So when we were driving to the airport and you started talking about your time with Ted as it related to preaching, you gave me an idea.
You described some frustration or constriction you felt around preaching, and I couldn't stop thinking about the same things as it related to my limited experiences with blogging. I have these things inside, sometimes well formed thoughts, sometimes only questions or impressions or experiences that seem too elusive to be put into words. When you were around, they would come out in conversations over lunch or on a jog or Sunday morning... piece by piece, bit by bit, many times back and forth half you and half me.
When I try to form them on my own, it is at times difficult. When I do form them on my own and put them down...there is frequently a constriction. "This doesn't sound just right. People will get the wrong idea about me, or they will get the right idea and I don't want that. This says too much. That says too little and I can't say the rest of it by myself." So I frequently find that many of my deepest feelings or strong emotional responses to songs, videos, parenting, articles and blog posts sit inside and get fled for later use... and later may never come.
So as we drove to the airport with Ryan Adams singing and you said that you had wondered aloud to Ted what preaching would look like if you approached it like a conversation with me, I thought, "That's it!" I need an ongoing conversation with you where these things get shared in closer to real time across the Atlantic Ocean, without the constriction that accompanies my usual blog post routine. So I decided to start another blog, a conversation with you. It was going to be titled "Hey Bro", like I start most of my e-mails, but that one was taken, as was "Hey Brother", "Hey Matt", etc.
So then I started thinking about clever ways to indicate this was a conversation between me and you and was just about settled on "Connection vs. Constriction" but then suddenly remembered your line from the boys baptism and it seemed too good to pass up. I thought that since you gave me the idea to start with, that it was appropriate to steal the title from you, as well. Apologies.
So anyway, my hope is that over the next few months I will find the freedom to post the things I think and find and see and hear ... on this page so we connect more and constrict less... I plan to put thoughts, questions, blog posts, photos, Top Ten Lists, Mary J. Blige and Jimmy Fallon clips, as well as album recommendations and songs that stop me in my tracks. If you feel the need to return you can set up a blog (maybe "From the Bishop to Bono") or you can simply reply to a post or we could set this up to both post content here.
I am writing to you and sharing with you. If someone else wanders in, no biggie. I think in the past folks bumped into our friendship and were frequently connected more and constricted less. May it be so.
I saw a few things today that I wanted to share...
