Some Interpretations
The image of “Living on the Edge” has many different interpretations. Following are some of them unpacked... just a little.
1) On the edge of a precipice
Standing on the edge of a chasm can provoke one of two responses. Either it scares or it exhilarates. Both are legitimate experiences of faith.
- There are times when our faith fails; doubts flood in; circumstances alter and we find it difficult to see beyond the fear. The church needs to be with people in these times, allowing them, indeed encouraging them, to express those doubts and fears. Faith can grow through facing doubts and fears, but it requires the loving care of a supportive Christian community for that to genuinely happen. Too many have fallen off the edge of faith just because the church refused to stand there with them in the first place. St Nic’s must grow into a church that is prepared to live with people who are struggling with their faith.
- Secondly, being on the edge gives us a vision of what could be by looking outward in awe and upward in praise — so often the spur to great things expected and great things undertaken. It is also about believing that the God who calls us to the edge, to enjoy the wonders of His Kingdom, is a faithful God who “will not let your foot fall.” However, we never learn to trust the faithful God unless we move to the edge where we are dependent upon His grace, His power and His faithfulness. It is here that we will also find “life in all its fullness.” St Nic’s must grow in faithful expectation of a great God... who does great things.
2) The sharp edge
In a meditation recently a member of St Nic’s was given a picture of a stone which was smooth on one side but broken and jagged on the other. The sharp edges were caused because the stone had been broken. All of us have our sharp edges. Most of us find them smoothed out with time, but for others the sharp edges are painful and ruin life. The brokenness of memories, of events, of circumstances, of relationships etc exists for all of us. This is where St Nic’s is called to be — comforting, encouraging, sharing the pain and walking with people in their brokenness and being a means of God’s healing. “I have come to bind up the broken-hearted, to release the captive... to announce the year of the Lord’s favour.” It is when the church refuses to live on the edge with brokenness, that the healing purposes of God become thwarted and wholeness becomes nothing more than a dream. St Nic’s must grow increasingly as a pastoral, comforting and healing community.
