Outside of the Box By Sharolyn Browning
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Photograph by Bob DaemmrichPhotography, Inc.
uring this time of year nion, and around conin the children’s curversation circles sharing riculum “Godly Play,” the big the holy scriptures. We story of God and God’s peoknow God shows up … ple is unfolding in children’s within these walls. Yet, church school classes around how many times do we the world. Two bookend stohear from well-meanries, the “Great Family” and ing, faithful people that the “Exile and Return,” have God needs to stay neat, helped me wonder about tidy, and containable our ever-changing underright there in that box standing of God’s presence, with the pews and the particularly inside and outparaments. God’s presside of “church.” Beyond this ence may stretch to the child-like wonder, the hard, sacred confines of the yet fruitful, conversations in home, on a good day, or Using public speaking skills honed during her two years in Education communities such as congre- Beyond the Walls’ Pastoral Leadership for Public Life program, Sharolyn the required Zoom in times gations and seminary circles Browning addresses the media at the Poor People’s Campaign March for of pandemic, Advent, or like Education Beyond the Democracy in July. New Year’s resolution, but, Walls and Pastoral Leaderby all means, keep God out ship for Public Life, have helped me better understand of the public sphere. my public theology as leader, and, thus, see God anew in I wonder if a persistent location of pastors is standa widening community. ing at the threshold between the inner life of the church The story of the Great Family is the epic path of Abram and the wider world of the public sphere, beckoning each and Sarai, discovering that God’s presence is revealed to other to cross in conversation and liturgy? them within the walls of Ur, but also, surprisingly beside My experience in the Pastoral Leadership for Public the river, in faraway cities, and under the stars in the Life cohort (2017), put me in conversation with diverse sand of the desert. The story of the Exile and Return is voices across the whole church and an intimate group of the inverse of Abraham and Sarah’s discovery. God’s peo- new friends. We are faithful to our call and God’s story ple had come to know God’s presence safe inside the Ark when we seek God’s presence at work outside of the of the Covenant, the walls of the Holy of Holies, the walls church walls … outside of the box in which we try to keep of the temple, the walls of Jerusalem … safe inside layers God neatly, and sterilely, contained. We knew this, of of walls, not easily escaping. And yet, when God’s people course, through the biblical witness, but we always need are scattered in the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles and those continuing conversation partners who challenge us the temple razed, God’s people make the slow, surprising, to keep exploring out beyond the safety of our own locaand loving discovery that God is present with them in as- tion to see God’s persistent work anew. We need the practonishing places, wherever and whenever people gather tical skills of engaging in the public sphere. We need to to pray and dream for new life. remind each other, and ourselves, God is already here — As church leaders, we thrive on cultivating spaces in and there—in a broken, suffering, and longing creation. which our dreams merge together for new and renew- We need that persistent support of one another as we ening life. We have felt God’s promised presence show up, counter new, adaptive challenges, out beyond the walls of v around the font at baptism, around the table at commu- the boxes we make to contain God.
The Reverend Sharolyn Browning (MDiv’14) is a Godly Play trainer and serves as transitional pastor for Christ Lutheran Church in Georgetown, Texas. She has been part of a Pastoral Leadership for Public Life cohort through Education Beyond the Walls. Winter 2022 | 9
