Making Room.

"Well," said the tree, straightening

herself up as much as she could,

"well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting

Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."

And the boy did.

And the tree was happy.

Shel Silverstein –The Giving Tree

            I was walking with my husband the other day and we came upon this tree growing out of the stump of another tree.  We stumble upon treasures occasionally that can give us great insight to life.  What does it mean to make room for new growth?  What does it mean to be able to grow up and out of our past maintaining independence while surrounded by our roots?

Look at these amazing words from Romans (The Message)

Romans 14:1

   Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

--As a 50ish year old woman I have learned to appreciate the shell of my family that I have come out of.  Like most people I tried to lean far enough this way or that, thinking it would enable me to separate myself from the past but now I find comfort and security in the roots, the trunk that shores me up.

--As a parent I have had to let go and make room for the growth of our own children so that they may feel my presence while claiming their own place on this planet.  Not always easy and often hard to watch. There are times when my arms ache from keeping this circle wide, while there a many times I enjoy the space it makes for all of us. 

--As a pastor I think of the church, the new trying to grow out of strong roots and the old trying (or not) to make space for new growth.  I have no idea what this new church will look like, this church of the future but I do know what the old church looked like (at least my old church) and it was beautiful. Of course that is what makes this all so hard.

            This old trunk has had to let go of branches that reached far and wide, provided shelter and shade and nourishment.  Like the church, this old tree let go slowly, some branches probably died and withered hanging on for a lifetime and others must have come crashing down during a storm or two, still vital so the separation was painful.  Each year fewer and fewer leaves, until one day this shell was left.

What does it mean for a church to let go and make room?  It means less judgment, less comparing our own past to the future of others. It means treating each other gently. The church is a living vessel, full of voices about how things should be, or once were. What would it mean if we were the place for rest and comfort for all those who are attempting to grow on their own?  It can be painful to hold the circle wide enough to make room for the new, the different, the unknown, but what blessings could be ours if we did so? 

Draw the Circle Wide by Gordon Light

Draw the circle wide

Draw it wider still

Let this be our song

no one stands alone,standing side by side,

Draw the circle wide.

God the still point of the circle

Round whom all creation turns

Nothing lost, but held forever

 in God’s gracious arms.