Liminal Spaces

“O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen”

— Collect for the Seventh Sunday of Easter

Living the fullness of the Resurrection is a life-long journey. New life rarely comes in an instant, and even the major life changes that signal new life can take months if not years to fully realize. Tomorrow, we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, the day Jesus returns to his Father in heaven (after his resurrection appearances) allowing the gift of the Holy Spirit to descend and enliven the entire church. The exciting thing about Pentecost is the levelling experience it is for all human beings; no longer must one have the special gifts of prophecy to claim the Holy Spirit’s availability to guide our lives and our communities. Palpably feeling the Spirit gives us peace which surpasses the circumstances of our lives.

However, we don’t often live in a constant state of feeling supported by the guidance of the Spirit. We have moments of doubt, anxiety, fear, and questioning. We believe and know we have not “lost” our faith but find ourselves a bit off-center. We may be discerning multiple voices or paths before us, trying to hear and see which is the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We might be overwhelmed by the instability of our world and the many concerns over which we have no control. This liminal space between Ascension and Pentecost is a bit different than the Holy Saturday space. It is still in the season of Easter, but it lacks the comfort of Jesus’ risen form. There are no more breakfasts at the beach, and the locked doors we hide behind do not have miraculous forms crossing the borders of physical space.

I wonder how often we honor the season between Ascension and Pentecost. We have ventured on a journey of new life, and yet we still seek guidance. We need reassurance that the Resurrection is fully available to us. The training wheels are off, but we are still a bit wobbly. We might even glance back to see if someone is there to right our balance if we fall. As humans we are constantly experiencing instances of this liminal space. We started college, but we don’t know our major; we moved to a new place but have yet to feel rooted of it being our home; our family is weathering a new season and we are not sure of our roles. 

In this space is the collect for the Seventh Sunday of Easter. We ask for guidance to trust that the Holy Spirit will come. The assumption of this collect is that we pray it together in community. We are most supported in these liminal spaces when we rely on our communities. Being reminded by those who’ve already navigated uncertain periods demonstrates the trust that the guidance of the Holy Spirit will come to us too. We need to re-member in the rhythm of the Holy Eucharist that Christ will come again.

Peace, Beth +