Yesterday in class we were talking about the church and improvisation. One concept that really stood out to me was the question of whether or not we will accept or block the 'offer' to come play. Will we say 'Yes' or will we say 'No'. Sam Wells argues that those who say 'No' think that what is being offered is either "improbable, improper or dangerous" or really all of the above. It is much safer not to take the risk.
I believe that risk (vulnerability), freedom and contingency (that anything can happen) all go together. The other side of the coin is trust (whether in ourselves or others--including God), structure (some kind of ordered way of being and doing) and constraint (some kind of canvas on which to paint our lives). There has to be structure if we are to practice and live into freedom and contingency.
When I put that together with Sarah Coakley's ideas that the kenosis of Jesus Christ (that mysterious way of talking about Christ's self-emptying or his pouring out of himself) as 'vulnerability-in-power' I realize that vulnerability, especially a healthy understanding of vulnerability, is at the heart of the gospel. It is the way of Jesus Christ. It is who we are empowered to be through the Holy Spirit. This is not some 'touchy-feely' way of thinking about who we are as humans, much less the people of God. We are called to be persons before one another, before God and before the whole of the created order. Our freedom as persons (not individuals) is bound up in and even vested in our interplay with others. There is no freedom without vulnerability. Freedom is mediated to us through other people. This is the call of the Christian life. This the core of the Jesus way.
And so I wonder about the Church. Could we do work in this class that actually moves us to a less cynical place about the Church? About God? About one another? Is there a constructive way to imagine what it means to come together? What role does worship play in your life? What desires do you have? Can worship awaken your desire for God? For healthy relationship? For wholeness? Or is vulnerability, freedom, wholeness, desire, etc. antithetical to what Church is? What are you questions? How can you aks these questions? Are you asking these questions?
I think this could be a very powerful integrative space in this class. Anyone up for the challenge? Say 'Yes' to vulnerability, even if it involves the imperfect group of persons (even individuals) that make up the Church...
Here is video by Dr. Brene Brown on vulnerability. I think she gets to the heart of the matter. Let me know what you think: