Journey through a Liminal Space
Acts 20:1-6 Journey through a liminal space.
Acts 20:1-6 are some of my most favourite and exciting verses in the bible. People make plaques of these verses and hang them on their walls. Others lie in bed at night and contemplate on them. I jest, on the surface these verses seem unexciting, mundane, even a little dull. Yet they have been inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Paul has just finished his second missionary journey, and it would be a while before he would start his third journey, this time to Rome. Paul was in a liminal space. The word liminal is from the Latin word limen, which means ‘threshold.’ Imagine yourself standing in the doorway, neither in or out of the room, that is a liminal space. An airport is a liminal space, nobody lives there, we are all passing through to somewhere else. Pregnancy is a liminal space for the lady is on the threshold of motherhood. When a bride and groom stand before their guests to make vows, momentary they are in a liminal space between being single and married.
Richard Rhor said about the liminal space:-
‘Where we are betwixt and between the familiar and the completely unknown. There alone is our old world left behind, while we are not yet sure of the new existence. That’s a good space where genuine newness can begin. Get there often and stay as long as you can by whatever means possible…This is the sacred space where the old world is able to fall apart, and a bigger world is revealed. If we don’t encounter liminal space in our lives, we start idealising normality.’
This is not an easy place to be. The space between where you have been, and where you want to go, can seem like a terrifying wilderness which feels like it can never be crossed. The gap can feel like a God deserted ‘no man’s’ land. It is difficult to be there, you miss the certainty of the past as you wait with hope and apprehension for the future.
Paul was in a liminal space, a place of transition, a placed that bridged the success and failures of the past with the hopes and dreams of the future.
So how did Paul manage this space.
1. He was deliberate in showing love and affection to others. Luke tell us that ‘Paul sent for the believers and encouraged them.’ The word encouraged would be better translated as embraced them. The word carries the idea of enfolding someone in your arms, there is a sense gentleness about this embrace. As Paul was saying goodbye, he did so in an emotional, affectionate and physical way. This same word was used to describe a greeting, when you met someone you would greet them, which was very time consuming because in Paul’s day, it was much more than a ‘how are you?’ It was an intentional showing of intense interest, in the knowledge that it would take time. For Paul this embrace was no formality but an authentic expression of concern.
Here’s the thing, when life places us in a liminal space we can become self obsessed. Our thinking can become all about our needs, our hopes, so much so that we cease to have the strength, the ability or the desire to embrace or bless others. We want to move on, we want to reach our goal.
In the liminal space we don’t how to make the time or have the emotional energy to be intensely caring. We live as if life in an airport terminal should be normal. We are rushing to catch our plane, we become so terrified of missing it that we are oblivious to the needs around us. As Paul entered this time of transition and change, he understood that his life was not solely about him.
The believers in Ephesus had been going through a difficult time, they needed support and affirmation so Paul sent for them. When Paul sent for them, we could be tempted to understand this as some kind of invitation, but it was much more than that, he was determined to show these believers his love and affection. The word Luke uses for sent proskalo was a word that expressed authority over someone like a parent over a child. As a church we need to create a culture where we embrace each other. I am not talking about physical hugs but about allowing others to get close enough to give the care they need.
2. He made a choice to encourage.
Luke tells us that ‘Paul encouraged the believers in all the towns that he passed through.’ There are two important things about encouragement we need to mention. Every single person needs to be encouraged. No matter who you are, or what kind of personality you may have, you have been designed with a need of encouragement. Secondly, every single person needs to be an encourager. Our need to be someone who encourages others is as great as our need for encouragement.
This raises a problem, often people think or say something like ‘encouragement is not my gift,’ or ‘I’m not a very encouraging person.’ and yet we are commanded in Hebrews 10:25 to encourage one another. Encouragement may not be defined as a fruit of the Spirit, or even one of the gifts of the Spirit. However, encouragement is the very essence of the Spirit. He is described as the comforter or advocate the same word for encourager. Being an encourager should be the natural, spontaneous expression of the life of the Spirit in every Christian.
But what does it mean to encourage?
The word for encouragement parakaleo means to call in a counsellor to give advice, or to call in an advocate to plead a case in the law courts. The parakletos was the prisoner's friend, the advocate and counsel for the defence, the man who bore witness to his friend's character when he most needed it, and when others wished to condemn him;
Being an encourager in a liminal space will make your wilderness less barren. Being an encourager in a liminal space means that our focus is not only about us. Being an encourager in a liminal space means that relationships on the journey are more important than the destination.
3. Paul held his plans lightly.
Luke tells us, ‘He was preparing to sail back to Syria when he discovered a plot by some Jews against his life, so he decided to return through Macedonia.’
Bible commentator, John Phillips explained that "Each year a pilgrim ship left Greece for Palestine, to take Jewish people home for the annual festivals. Paul probably planned to sail on one of those pilgrim ships. But word leaked out and the unbelieving Jews decided it would give them a golden opportunity to get rid of him. By the grace of God, Paul uncovered the plot, changed his plans, and headed back north to Macedonia.’
Plans are important, but, often when we are in a liminal space between the past and the future, the known and the unknown, plans can become even more important. When you have to journey through areas and circumstances of life you had never planned for, you become more eager to reach you intended destination. Then something happens, and you find yourself retracing your steps, going to where you have been.
Sometimes life can be really disappointing, and we can become frustrated and even angry. The interesting thing about these verses is what God said to Paul. Did you hear what God said?
Look at verse 4. ‘So he decided to return to Macedonia.’ God did not intervene, he didn’t appear to Paul at this time and say, ‘Paul don’t worry I will protect you on the ship!’ No, just silence. Sometimes the will of God can be summarised in two words, ‘You decide!’ Very often, that is the last thing we want to hear when we feel stuck in the in-between space. We want clarity, certainty not silence. Not, ‘You decide,’ An important element of growing spiritually is learning to make wise and moral choices when you are in a place of frustration and disappointment.
I am sure a lot of us can identify with Paul. Perhaps you feel at the moment you are in a liminal space, a place in-between the known of the past and the unknown of the future, you feel you are in limbo, and all you want is for God to show up and give undisputable direction and assurance, but sometimes God is silent and you have to decide for yourself. You need to take responsibility, you need to choose how to respond to the disappointment and the frustration.
4. He made a deliberate choice not to journey alone.
Look at verses 4-5. Luke mentions seven men by name. Then he makes reference to himself when he says, ‘they went on ahead and waited for us,’ and ‘ After passover had ended we boarded a ship….’ so Paul had at least eight companions on this journey. In verse 4 Luke use a word for travelling that is only used here and it carries the idea of following and attending. In other words these men travelled to help minister to Paul's needs.
Our culture has over individualised life, which means for the most part we often to choose to travel alone. We cherish independence more than vulnerability. We are slow to share our needs or ask for help, and the scary thing is we actually believe that this is a spiritual virtue. As Paul was navigating this liminal space he accepted that he was unable to do it by himself.
Luke tells us that ‘These men went ahead of him and waited for him.’
They went ahead of him, what practical forethought and planning. They were making things ready for him. His change of plans caused them to change their plans. Then they waited for him. What patience, part of Pauls journey became part of their journey.
There are parts of the journey of life that are never meant to be taken alone. When life places us in a liminal space, where the unknown and the uncertain feels overwhelming, it is at these times that we must make a conscious decision not to travel alone. Navigating the gap between the past and the future, the status quo and change, the known and the unknown can be fraught and draining, which is why we need to surround ourselves with people who will journey with us.