Living in the Liminal

At this time of year, the day between Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection is easily ignored. We place great emphasis on that glorious outcry, 'It is finished!', and quickly rush to Christ rising, when death is defeated and God, as always, has the last word. Yes, Sunday is always coming, but what about the mourning of Saturday?
According to Richard Rohr, the liminal is described as 'when we are betwixt and between, have left one room but not yet entered the next room, any hiatus between stages of life, stages of faith, jobs, loves or relationships'. Christ was not between life and death; He was fully dead and would return fully to life, note. But the time in between is liminal for Christians; the punishment for sin was taken, the defeat of death awaiting.

Jesus did not hide God's plan; He spoke of His coming death, but also of His resurrection -
'Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."' John 2:18
'For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.' Matthew 12:40
'From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.' Matthew 16:21
'And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.' Mark 8:31
'And taking the twelve, he said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished... And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise."' Luke 18:31-33
That Saturday would have taken a lot of trust. Yet, like when Jesus mourns the death of Lazarus despite knowing that Lazarus will be brought back to life, knowing the end does not stop the present pain.

I see it like a tightrope over a cliff. At the start, when you first stepped onto the rope, the sky was cloudless. You could see the end point, the other side of the cliff, yet as you start taking steps, the clouds fall and the fog comes. Suddenly, the starting point is not visible, and the end point is unimaginable. How far you have came and how far is left is not clear. You know there is an end point and you trust that you are at least one step closer to it, but that does not stop the fear coming or the doubt of 'What is the point of being on this tightrope?'. That is the liminal; the in between.


The idea of living in the liminal reminds me of Psalm 23:4, 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me.' Even though I walk. How often do we walk through suffering? Suffering is the idea we recognise easily. But walking through that? For me, at least, that is incredibly foreign. Rather, I want to run. The valley of the shadow of death, the darkest valley, the deepest darkness, causes me to bolt, to leg it, to run as far away as possible. Yet, the Psalmist walks. One step at a time, peacefully and in complete trust.

That is not to say that walking in that season is easy. I've been known to get frustrated walking to shops and instead sticking on a pair of running shoes or cycling there instead (patience is a needed virtue...) never mind to dander through struggles. I often attempt to ignore pain or run away from it, rather than be present and acknowledge it; it's easy to hide behind a 'but it will be okay! So it's okay!' instead of allowing a friend to sit in the darkness with me. The mourning of Saturday, the weeping of Jesus, teaches otherwise. As opposed to dismissing the pain felt, immediately jumping to the solution - skipping the 3 days in the tomb, or healing Lazarus instantaneously - Jesus models such a walk. He is present in the pain; He feels it. He stands in the fog before defeating it.

Being in the liminal is a struggle. It's being in the mourning of Saturday; living in a broken world, suffering that feels like it will not end, blind purpose and reasoning. As you continue to cross the tightrope, however, remember why you stepped on it. Remember the end point. Trust that each step is filled with purpose. Hold tight to the promise. One step at a time, walk.

When you are in the mourning of Saturday, the Winter of your heart, the liminal of life, hold on to that promise; Sunday's coming.

Take care.

'And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.' Philippians 1:6

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