Beyond Wood and Stone

Rev. Elisabeth's Cedar Park Blog site

Weaving the Cloth for the Table: some initial thoughts from the “new minister”

Tomorrow (Monday August 1), marks the beginning of a new relationship between me and the faith community of Cedar Park United Church.

For a few weeks now I’ve been trying to create,  for myself at least, a visual metaphor for this process of changing relationship.  The image which is playing in my mind right now  is that of a multi-coloured cloth – the sort of richly coloured  fabric that is sold for table coverings at Dix Milles Villages, perhaps.  (And see the beautiful hymn in Voices United “Dear Weaver of our life’s Design”).  God calls each of us to bring the coloured threads of our lives to the common (or communal) task of weaving a community cloth.  Each of us has one or more strands we are invited to weave onto the warp of the community’s ongoing life.  The coloured strands I was given to weave for the past 7 years were  beautiful colours which signified my relationship with Cedar Park  as ‘voluntary associate minister’, or ‘scholar in residence-cum Bible study leader’, and also ‘pew-sitter, worshipper among many, choir singer, and fellow disciple.’  They have blended well with the colours woven by others in this community.  Now I’ve been given – by the call of God and of this community –  a new colour to weave.  I get to keep “fellow-disciple”, as well as  “choir singer” and “worshipper among many”, but I need to set aside the “Voluntary Associate Minister” thread  in order to weave this new colour into the fabric of our lives of shared discipleship, witness and service. 

 It is a stunning colour, I’m awed to have received it, and will have to learn how to handle it with grace and care, so that its contribution to the overall beauty of the Cedar Park cloth is both functional and beautiful.  It won’t look so good if it’s suddenly the only colour in the cloth, in fact it’s one of those colours that looks best when surrounded by others of many hues and shades.  Please join me in weaving this new section of our cloth together, let’s make something functional and beautiful, that can grace the Table of God’s Banquet.

 

 

5 Comments

  1. What a beautiful reflection and metaphor, Elisabeth!! It is such a gift to God and to all of us Cedar Parkers to have you weaving this new colour.

  2. Your metaphor is so beautiful; it set me to meditating on how one weaves one’s “colors” in a community. I had not thought of myself having a color to weave but the idea is quite remarkable to me. My preferance is to be bright red (passionately involved member) but not all the time! It takes so much energy! Finding a balance in the colors as roles, which is how you described them, is a joyful way to work out a tapestry. But also the idea of bringing all the threads I’ve been weaving all my life, into the tapestry, is an enlarging, more powerful image and I look forward to being part of the weaving of your ministry. Welcome to your new color, Elisabeth.

  3. erjones

    August 10, 2011 at 4:29 pm

    Thanks Lisa and Jeanne and others who’ve commented on this post. I love the passionate red you weave Jeanne!

  4. The fabric that is Cedar Park has always been startlingly beautiful. I know the passionate red, the blues and greens, the yellows and oranges and yes the grays and browns and the ‘new colour about to blend in’ will continue the tradition of making the fabric a jewel coloured shawl, comforting, inspiring and stirring action in the community and beyond. Blessings my dear friends!

  5. The loom and its rhythms, the multi-coloured threads, the Master Weaver and the fabric we create together has been truly enhanced and enriched by your new presence and the colours of your new role. I am delighted to be part of the brilliant cloth we weave together!

    Blessings,

    Sam

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