The gifts you find in the margins…

By Stephanie Lusienski, Administrator for Finance & Development


Have you ever purchased a previously owned book, borrowed a book from a friend, or borrowed someone’s bible?  Often times these borrowed books have doodles on the edges, notes written in the white spaces, words that have been circled or prayers that were lifted up.  Often times there is as much beauty and grace in the margins as there is in the main story or the main text.  Jesus’ story begins with his birth in a stable…in the margins, and his life and ministry was lived out as he served the marginalized.  

Lisa Nichols Hickman writes, “Why do we write or draw in the margins?  What’s wonderful about the margins is their potential for discovery, creativity and daily joy.  The margins offer a place for faith to develop in clarity and deepen in mystery.  The margins offer a place for hope to gain security, grace to gain awareness, and wisdom to find its ground.  The margins are a place for love to be nurtured into actuality.” 
 
This brings to mind the Guardian Angels program from the Nebraska Synod’s AMMPARO initiative. The program provides trained volunteers who support unaccompanied migrant children and single parent families through their immigration court process. Volunteers, like myself and others from across the synod, provide physical accompaniment as a visible sign of the church in court, spiritual support for them during their court appearances, and if requested-  resource sharing of local organizations and individuals that can assist in their transition to life in the U.S. It is the hope of the synod, with programs such as this and other ministries, to look outside our walls, to look for the stories in the margins, and to be a good neighbor and a light to those in communities across the state and the globe.

When we read a book we often think the story is in the center of the page; the center is where the real action is.  But if you look closely there is beauty and a story on the edges also, in the wide white space around the story- the margins.  When we take the time to read the words that are written in the margins or look at the beautiful art that has been doodled on the blank canvas on the perimeter, we see the opportunities to live in proximity of one another, to lean into one another and share our stories. 

How do we live out our baptismal call to look for the beauty in the edges and how do we discover the story that unfolds?  The margins provide a place for grace and perspective as we share our story….God’s story.


*The Nebraska Synod will be hosting future trainings for the Guardian Angels program, if you are interested in learning more please visit the synod website. 

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