Liminal Space Today
Liminal space ~ time for reflection . . . (the weeping angel of Amiens, France)
Easter Vigil ~ Easter Sunday ~ 4/8-9, 2023
Today, Saturday, is that ‘time-in-between’, what is also called, ‘liminal space’. A time allotted to us to hold space between the utter pain, sorrow and grief from the events of the Passion, the brutality of it, the ‘why’ of it . . . and . . . the wonder of the joyous Resurrection! The, “Oh, my, He has died and is sealed in a tomb.” -to- “Where has He gone? Alleluia! He is Risen!” As we live now, we know the story, so we often pass over the Saturday in preparation for Sunday, but liminal space/time in the present is a threshold . . . a time to hold just as sacred as the Passion and the Resurrection. The future has not yet happened and we might not quite yet understand what has just happened. It is a time to just wait . . . to allow ourselves time to process and prepare.
Saturday can be a time of ‘early Easter celebrations’ when families are able to gather much easier on the weekend, or too many demands for one Sunday get bumped back to Saturday, also – Easter egg hunts, even early church services as Easter Vigils. We are accustomed to barely finishing one thing and rushing right on to the next thing. We can benefit greatly from sitting with the ‘time-in-between’ . . . looking for understanding and gratitude for the past event, giving it closure and preparing to receive ‘what’s next’.
I hope you find special blessing in contemplating your Lenten and Passion journey . . . assessing the growth . . . and preparing for the joy of Resurrection Sunday. Wait until Monday to ask, “What next?” . . . there will be another liminal space Sunday evening when all the festivities have come to a close, family and friends have returned to their respective homes, work and school days and chores will resume . . . another chance to contemplate the entire historic, yet personal event. I hope that you have found some ways to keep the journey going - keep stretching - keep learning - keep listening - keep loving.
This was all I committed to – but I’ve found that I really enjoy sharing my thoughts. I have some ideas for future topics and hope you check back. Please comment on this blog, or send me an email or text (contact info on the website) if there’s something you’d like to see discussed.
Until we meet again, please know and believe that you were created by a loving Creator, to be creative and to love one another. You are loved just the way you are and are perfect ~ please share that with someone who may need to hear that, today. May God richly bless you and those you love.