Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Camping on the fringes.


Center or Fringe?

Like any other map, mine had both a center and an edge. At the center stood the church, where good women baked communion bread, ironed altar linens, and polished silver that had been in the church family for generations... some never picked up a prayer book on Sunday morning because they knew the communion service by heart...These people at the center kept the map from blowing away.”
                            Barbara Brown Taylor (Leaving Church)

I don't know whether you attend church or not, but I do—every Sunday unless I am sick or have out-of-town company. I am one of those people at the center who serves on the Council and from time to time, teaches Sunday School. I make church banners for worship and sometimes wash the dirty table cloths after a dinner. I never thought I would be at the center of anything, but here I am.

Taylor describes the people at the edges of the map as those who step outside the church long enough to hear the howling of the world, where there are no protective roofs, or stained glass windows, or well lit bathrooms. At the edge you find people who are either seeking an encounter with the living God, or recovering from one. People on the fringes keep the map from becoming stale and repetitive. I see myself firmly in that encampment as well.

I love my church because I believe it is the best way to build individual conscience and ethical community. Even though the church is full of flawed people like me, it continues to hold aloft the poor and the outcast that Jesus sought to serve. Like democracy, it offers hope. But I understand too why people leave the church. They can no longer say the dusty old creeds nor claim fealty to the tenets that require willing suspension of disbelief. Such people deeply want something to believe in, but not what they see as superstition and mysticism.

The center and the edges of the map are not that far apart. I find that the very people who have walked away from organized religion are finding God in the activities that mean most to them—in nature, in volunteerism, in serving their fellow humans. Most of them still love the music of the church and participate in humanitarian efforts to make our world better for everyone.

Where are you? Are you at the center, or on the fringes? Do you feel you have to leave your brain on the steps outside in order to participate? Are you searching for something to hold onto when the going gets tough? If so, you're in good company. The encampment at the fringes welcomes pilgrims and wayfarers. Come—sit by the fire.

                                               In the spirit,
                                               Jane

1 comment:

Charles Kinnaird said...

Years ago I found a new freedom and security when I discovered I was indeed a marginal person. I love being on the fringe. The freedom is in realizing that there are other ways to see things. The security is in knowing where the center is.