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God
Without
Borders


As I studied some theological perspectives on this week’s gospel reading, I particularly appreciated the idea that Holy Mystery runs wild and free in this world in unexpected ways that may challenge or even disrupt. There isn’t one community that has the corner on God’s presence. That’s a very good thought to hang onto, and it’s an idea that will continue to open up our understanding of God, faith, and community. It’s an idea that had Jesus run out of town by his own home community.

This week we pick up the story in Luke where we left off last week. After Jesus read from the prophet Isaiah, you could have heard a pin drop in that synagogue in Nazareth. Once he had their attention, he tried to open up their understanding of God as being present— not just here, but also there, and everywhere. God, he suggests, is present even in “the outsider”!

That is still a challenge for us today. It is one thing to consider God present among those who think as we do, but quite another thing to consider God present in “the outsider”. Perhaps, when we consider the sacredness of the “other,” regardless of their views and practices, we will have an opportunity to open up our own understanding of how we are to be in community. Holy Mystery running free in the world suggests God beyond the borders of our thinking, beyond the borders of our own community, and without any borders we can possibly imagine.

Peace and joy,
Nancy

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