What is a liminal space
Author:
October 17, 2022
One of the highlights of my week is Pastor Kathryn’s Bible
Study meeting at noon on Thursdays. It
is a great time of catching up on each other’s lives as well as reviewing the
sermon from the previous Sunday and looking at the texts for the upcoming
Sunday. It’s a great opportunity to go a
little deeper and ask questions about what these texts mean. All are welcome to join us. No prior experience or knowledge is
necessary.
This past Thursday, a portion of our discussion
was about liminal space. What is liminal
space? One description that I found from
verywellmind.com says the following: “The word ‘liminal’ comes from the Latin
word ‘limen,’ which means threshold. To be in a liminal space means to be on
the precipice of something new but not quite there yet. You can be in a liminal
space physically, emotionally, or metaphorically.” Physical thresholds
include airports, hallways, doorways, trains, airplanes,
and bridges. Emotional thresholds
include death of a loved one, divorce, moving, graduation and illness. Liminal spaces
are the in between places. They are times of uncertainty and can be uncomfortable. Several people in the group shared their
personal experience living in liminal space or time. As I am nearing completion of my degree at
Central Penn, I am experiencing liminality and uncertainty, not knowing what is
going to happen after graduation.
The church (both the universal church and MPC in particular)
has been in a liminal space for the past few years due to the Covid-19
pandemic. Church, as we knew it, was
suddenly disrupted, leading to a need to find new ways to minister to the needs
of the congregation and the world around us. Now, things finally seem to be returning
to “normal”, but it is not the same as before. The world has changed, and the
church has changed and must continue to change to meet the challenges of this
new existence. It is a time of uncertainty
and anxiety. It can also be a time of excitement
and inspiration as we seek to discern where God is leading MPC.
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