Through Stained Glass: Advent Word a Day-Line

Remember, a line cannot exist alone;
it always brings a companion along.
Do remember that one line does nothing; it is only in relation
to another that it creates a volume. ~Henri Matisse

Lines have been a part of my life from the beginning.

“Get in line.”

“Stay in line.”

“Follow in line.”

“You crossed the line.”

“Line up.”

Funny that the word of the day, ‘line’, happened on the same day I went and watched my nephew play basketball. On the court are all sorts of lines. Lines for basketball and volleyball. Players line up for the National Anthem, free throws, and to shake hands. Cheerleaders get in line, too. Heeding Beyoncé’s call, they get in formation and move lines.

An interesting fact about this gymnasium.

The last time I was on this court I was a freshman in high school. Our attention at this particular practice wasn’t aligning with the expectations of the coaches, so they kicked us out of practice.

Yea, we crossed a line.

We like lines.

We need lines.

 Lines on the road guide us. Lines at the mall keep us from causing chaos as we look for that perfect Christmas gift. Good actors/actresses move us with their lines; George Harrison moved us with his lines in “Here Comes the Sun.” Anthony Rizzo drives in Kris Bryant when he hits a line-drive.

Lines.

Lines can measure things, too. Like a plumb line. My friend Becky does a great job explaining this in her post. Essentially, the plumb line, a weighted "bob" on the end of a line, hangs vertically, providing a known vertical and, therefore, an accurate comparison for any (purportedly) vertical surface near it.

Lines can measure things, too. Like when Amos comes before a prospering kingdom and says, “Things look in good shape. But, how are we measuring up with what God wants from and for us?” The people of God needed a plumb line to show them that they had wandered off a bit from the way of God. The love of God had been replaced with the love of power.

Yet no matter how far out of line we get, God waits for us. God isn’t the one who moves us to the back of the line or even knocks us offline. Rather, we often do it to ourselves. God moves towards us with mercy and tenderness, extending God’s hand and walking with us back to the line.

If this bothers you, perhaps that is good. The reason it might is because it prompts the reflection of faith communities to examine if their own mission and witness is in line with God’s vision of justice.

Advent, like the plumb line, invites us to examine whether or not we are walking the line. It is a time for us to return to our Center, to walk back into the Light, and to dwell in the heart of the Triune God.

God is tossing us a lifeline.

It is up to us to grab on to it.