Some time has passed since my last post. I've had a flurry of activity and a number of good ideas for a post, but failed to make the time.
As we near the end of summer, no doubt many have found their way to the coast this year for at least a day apart (if not a week or weekend). The beach used to be my favorite destination as a child. Sandcastles, mudpies, waves, shells. As I grew into adolescence, it became less inviting as I worried about weight, appearance, and self-image. Now as an adult, I worry more over skin cancer and parking tickets. But, one thing that has never seemed to change is the beautiful spectrum of people you'll find along the shores of a beach. Young, old, short, fat, tan, albino, freckles, leather-like skin, wrinkles, love-handles, one-piece, bikini briefs, sun dress, infants, shades, hats, surfers, umbrellas, wet suits, loafers, bare feet, laughter, tall, chiseled, tears, families, widows, retirees, Asian, southern, tourist, Yankee, ebony, local, burnt. There is no shortage of shapes and sizes, colors or dialects, personalities or species. They all come to the beach. Some for better reasons than others. Some who like to be on the pier, some who like to be under it, some who like to walk by it, some who swim just past it, and some who want to be nowhere near a pier. (The same could be said of the sand or the ocean or anything else characteristic of coastlines). They all come to the beach and they all, for some unknown reason, go through this unique ritual of exposing themselves in a gesture of vulnerability to the elements. They let it all hang out, or at least parts of themselves. They're on vacation and so they just let go. And, for better or worse, people see more of each other than they would at any other place or time. And I'm certainly implying more than just skin exposure. The beach is one of the few places people let down their guard and become the most free and open and emptied. More so even than the church. It's quite a remarkable thing. Even folks who opt for a t-shirt, or pants, or are as self-conscious as me, are more willing to give in to this ritual, knowing that everyone else is foolishly involved. It's a beautiful thing to watch and to realize that perhaps this is just a small snapshot of the foolishness of the kingdom of God. Brian McLaren says: "I think the best glimpses of the kingdom of God come to us unexpectedly in everyday life- and the sermons we hear help us keep our eyes open so that when those moments come, we don't sleepwalk through them...We shed tears because we were given a glimpse of the way life was created to be and is not..."
At times, these last few weeks have been a blur for me. But, I pray this summer you've shared glimpses of the kingdom, rather than sleepwalking through. If not, perhaps you're due for a trip to the coast.
