鈥淭he rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing.鈥� 鈥� John Muir
On Friday December 14th, the Riverside Innovation Hub staff visited the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Itasca State Park in Park Rapids, Minnesota. The Mississippi River has been an important conversation partner for us throughout our project. It serves as a reminder of the depth and breadth of God鈥檚 mercy flowing into our world (see Ezekiel and the Public Church: Everything will live where the River Flows).
It takes a drop of water at the headwaters 90 days to reach the Gulf of Mexico. That means the water we saw while we were there will be flowing through the Mississippi River valley until March 14th, the second week of Lent. That is a long time for these lovely drops of water to wait before they meet the warm waters of the Gulf. But Advent is all about waiting. And it is strange to think about Lent during Advent. But Advent is strange. Anticipatory waiting is strange.
Christian theologians use the phrase 鈥渢he already-not-yet鈥� to describe the era in which we live. God鈥檚 deep and wide mercy has already begun flowing into our world, but the fullness of the life and healing this mercy brings has not yet been fully realized. We wait for it, with anticipation. It is this anticipatory, strange waiting that our project is experiencing right now. We are in the already-not-yet. We are already experiencing the challenges and blessings of the slow work of innovation 鈥� the journey through the river鈥檚 valley – but we have not yet fully seen its fruits. This feels strange to many of us. We are not good at waiting. We prefer to control and initiate.
This is where I think John Muir might have something to offer us. God鈥檚 mercy is not something we sit next to and observe. It is something that flows 鈥渢hrough us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing.鈥� We long for every drop of God鈥檚 mercy to reach its destination. But it does not make its journey through a river valley, it makes its journey through us, through our bodies.
Mary, the Theotokos (God-bearer), teaches us how to carry God鈥檚 mercy in our bodies.
46听And Mary听said,
鈥淢y soul magnifies the Lord,
47听and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48听for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
听听听听Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49听for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
听听听听and holy is his name.
50听His mercy is for those who fear him
听听听听from generation to generation.
51听He has shown strength with his arm;
听听听听he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52听He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
听听听听and lifted up the lowly;
53听he has filled the hungry with good things,
听听听听and sent the rich away empty.
54听He has helped his servant Israel,
听听听听in remembrance of his mercy,
55听according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
听听听听to Abraham and to his descendants forever.鈥� (Luke 1:46 鈥�听55).
Innovation is the same.听The work of accompaniment, interpretation, discernment, and proclamation are not things that flow past us. They flow through us. We carry this work in our bodies. It becomes incarnate when we show up and engage a person, a place, an idea. We carry it in awe, and gratitude, and humility. And we wait. We wait for God鈥檚 good work that has already begun but is not yet complete.
Written by Jeremy Myers, PhD
Photo credit: Ha (Cassie) Dong