"Parables - give God room. They are stories, which shatter the deep structures of our accepted world and thereby render clear and evident to us the relativity of story itself. They remove our defenses and make us vulnerable to God. it is only in such experiences that God can touch us, and only in such moments does the Kingdom of God arrive." (p. 15, Emerging Ministry: Being Church Today)

After telling a wonderfully touching story of how he touched a young man's life just by taking time to talk with him, author Nate Frambach offers the quote above from John Dominic Crossan. Nate's story had become a parable of his own life - a way that he came to understand how modernity encounters God. I guess you could say that Nate understands that you and I learn that God needs room in order to open us to the Kingdom. When that room is not available, how do you and I open ourselves to divine energy to work in and through us? How do those of us who follow Jesus afford such "room" for others to experience that same roominess of the Kingdom that we have experienced? What happens if the followers of Jesus lose sight of making room for anyone who wants to enter into God's presence?

All of these questions lead to and understanding in the Emerging Church: God is much bigger than we had previously understood - that's scary. Augustine once said, "If you understand it, it isn't God" (si comprehendis non est deus). That notion then opens modernity to a roominess that can be uncomfortable: Where do we go from here? Does this mean that all one has learned from Mother Church in the past is wrong? What does one have to hold onto if past understandings were inadequate?

I realize these are deep questions. However, in order for us to get to the bottom of this seemingly bottomless pit, the Church must make room for difficult questions. Let's allow these questions to lead our discussion this week. And remember, if you haven't yet gotten the book, Emerging Ministry: Being Church Today, get it asap so we can have a common base from which to pull.

Peace,
Tim