EDITORIAL: The Grace of the Liminal
I’ve always been drawn to the concept of liminal spaces. Liminal—meaning a threshold or a portal, or some type of space in-between—can represent transition. It can be a difficult space of ambiguity where you are neither here nor there. But it can also be a place of reflection of where you just came from, and preparation for where you are about to go.
For Christians, this is a familiar, yet tricky concept in our theology. We experience liminality of sorts when we live “in the world, but not of the world.” We marvel at the liminal when the God of heaven comes to earth, yet is incarnated as the “son of man.” And, as Christians, we experience the tension of liminality when we wait for the next Advent – a divine presence that is “here, but not yet.”
This week between Christmas and the New Year often feels like a liminal space. The structure and pressure of the holiday is over, but the New Year’s resolutions have not yet begun. The old has not left just yet, but the new has not yet arrived.
Perhaps, a breath of relief… a brief moment of rest and reflection. And a prayer for trust in God’s leading throughout 2024, amid the chaos. Before we turn the page, a poem by a writer named Christine McDougall that inspired me this week:
May you stop to give yourself grace this week as you reflect on the lessons learned and the growth you experienced in 2023. And we thank you for your continued participation and support of Adventist Today in 2024 – a liminal community that hopes for the continued change that is “here, but not yet.”
Rebecca Barceló
30 December 2024
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