The word "liminal" comes from the Latin word “limen,” which means threshold. To be in a liminal space means to be on the precipice of something new but not quite there yet. You can be in a liminal space physically, emotionally, or metaphorically.
Being in a liminal space can be incredibly uncomfortable for most people. Brains crave homeostasis and predictability, and liminal space is everything but.
Theodora Blanchfield, "The Impact of Liminal Space on Your Mental Health"
Note: Good Friday worship at 7:00 PM on Friday
In-person worship and live stream
Easter Sunday worship at 10:15 AM on Sunday
In-person worship and live stream
Easter egg hunt at 11:45 AM on Sunday
Dear Grace Family,
I don’t know about you, but “Pivot” is a word I’ve had to use way too much in the last couple of years. We’ve pivoted to on-line church, and are now trying to pivot back to in-person. My kids have pivoted to various permutations of educational approaches. I’ve pivoted to working from home, and now I’m pivoting to back to in-person (well, sort of).
I look forward to the day when I can pivot from having to use the word pivot.
You get the picture. We are living through times of enormous transition. Many of us wonder if we will recognize the world—or our lives—in 5 years.
For the past couple of weeks, I have been captivated by Matthew’s account of Jesus’ resurrection in Matthew 28:1-10.
For the women who first witnessed the risen Christ, the original Easter Sunday was not a time not of uninhibited celebration. Instead, it was an extremely emotionally complex time marked by seemingly conflicting feelings. In fact, at one point, Matthew describes them as being:
Afraid yet filled with joy.
They were experiencing the reality of living through a deeply transitional time. The prior phase of Jesus’ earthly ministry was over, never to be repeated. At the same time, Jesus had risen from the dead and that absolutely changed everything. Yet, in hindsight, we can also see that the new era of the Spirit brought about by Christ’s resurrection had not yet come.
They were in that profoundly painful and extremely disorienting period of transition—what psychologists refer to as a “liminal space”—between the old and the new. The old had passed away but the new had not yet fully arrived.
Yet it was right in the middle of this experience that these mothers and sisters in the faith met our risen Lord. And, through immersing ourselves in their story, my prayer is that we can be encouraged by the hope of meeting the risen Christ in the midst of the seemingly endless change and uncertainty that surrounds us all.
I hope to worship with you this weekend.
This Friday: Good Friday at 7:00 PM
This Sunday: Easter Worship at 10:15 AM
Easter Egg Hunt at 11:45 AM
Here is the Good Friday Order of Worship.
Here is the Easter Sunday Order of Worship.
Warmly in Christ,
John
P.S. Jess Alldredge is running the Boston Marathon this weekend, which is a remarkable accomplishment and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In his absence, The Sing Team will be leading us in our Easter worship. They have put together a playlist for us to listen to before Sunday. Please check out the playlist! It will help familiarize you with their music and help you with your worship on Sunday.
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