Have we had that opportunity to pause as we pass by some gardens? The beauty of the plants, their colour can draw our eye towards the centre of the flower bed. But what of those margins?
Sometimes we are keen to clip the borders so that they are clean, clear, precise. But is that what it is like in reality?
The limits are not definite, they merge with … a messy edge.
So what of church? Why do we see our Churches as clear cut, even hard-walled? Yes we welcome people but they do as we do, as we may always have done.
Look at the beauty of this edge.
Even the edge of a lake of course ebbs and flows. It is ill-defined and moves with the vagaries of the water flow. How responsive and reactive is that? As the water flows into the reservoir, even that small peninsula shown above will disappear. We have no control over that.
And that’s it, in my opinion. If we can accept that we lose control, then the whole perspective changes. Those whom come upon the ‘church’ can see where they fit. They can find where they are at home, and can also flow in and out as they see fit.
As gardeners sow their seeds, possibly in careful straight lines, nature, plants cast their seeds with liberally, in the bed and beyond – even at the edge.
Let’s follow nature’s example.
There’s a great post here by Kate Fox Robinson which also speaks of the edges – well worth a read.
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