Of Tents and Stretching Them. . . .
[As of this morning, I'm back to reading, writing papers, studying. I won't have time to share on the blog (besides photos) for a while. Janette might have some things to say, though! I decided I'd better share NOW what I consider to be the most important thing we've been learning since we've come to Edinburgh.]
"He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers" (from Mary's Song) Luke 1:54,55.
Our experience in Edinburgh is that God enjoys living in lowly families.
When He sent His son, He did not send Him to be born in the castle as the king. Neither was the Son born into a rich Pharisee or Sadducee family. He didn't come to a trading corporation or even to a not-for-profit group that does good things for people.
He came to a little family--one that looked on the outside like it was unravelling before it started! The girl got pregnant before the wedding, the guy was going to get rid of her! John says "he made his dwelling--literally, tented-- among us" (John 1:14). It almost sounds like God implied an extra phrase in that sentence: "tented among us. . . . the broken, messed up, who-don't-have-it-together, living-in-torn-up-tent ones."
And Mary sang about this: She remembered Abraham and his messiness; she remembered Israel (Jacob) and his lying, cheating and stealing. She remembered that God chose those men and their families to enshrine His very Self through their faith.
Back to tents: ever slept in one that was a little too tight? Ever had to share one with extra people? I have. When camping, I often prefer to take a big tarp to accommodate a lot of people if need be. Abraham's tent was like this--there were all kinds of people that ended up sharing Abraham's tent. He probably had to stretch it out a bit over the years. Hold that picture in your head. . . .
God loves to live with families. Simple. . . yet complex in a society that wants to accomplish “good” without families at the center. Maybe its because. . . .
- Families don't ever "have it together"--they're messy
- Families spend time with other families. If you're looking for a way to "share your faith" it has more to do with having dinner together than you thought!
- Really healthy families are made up of all kinds of people, some of them brand new members, some of them ancient, some of them from other families that didn't want them, some them don't even believe they're a part of the family (even though they are).
- Much of the time, I may not feel like being in a family. And yet, if I claim my "family-ness" (being a son or daughter of the Father) and do what I know to be true in the face of my failures and feelings, I find new horizons open up in God's grace.
In the process of this giving and receiving, I began to think of my family more like an Abrahamic tent than a North Face tent. The first stretches and raises its covering over many. The second is air, water, ice and storm-tight. It’s squeaky-strong and clings to the edge of mountain peaks. It takes care of you and your (one) partner, but it’s not going to help under an avalanche or rock slide. Nor will it save you in a hurricane.
This Christmas, our family celebrated His "tenting" with us in a new way! We opened our hearts and our family-tent to Him once again. We practiced hospitality. And in the act of opening to Him, we opened to others as well. My classmate Jenny stopped by on Christmas eve because she, like us, was missing family. On Christmas day we had a huge dinner with Rika, Nobu and baby Ena Grace--just born!
We stretched the tent. Thank You, Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Father of families. Thank you for stretching out Your covering over us, the covering of the blood of Jesus who tented among us, full of Grace and Truth.
Teach us what Your Hospitality means. Teach us how to stretch our family tent.
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