Ring-aRound-the-Rosies
The Rule of Life, Week 11
by Andrea Lingle

We will practice mutual accountability with a covenant group within the community, for how we serve God and neighbor
     -From the MWF Rule of Life 

     Ring around the rosies,

I resemble my parents and my children resemble me. The writers of the creation accounts included in the Torah made it clear that human-kind resembles its Creator. God exists as a unique interactive relationship between three distinct but inseparable persons who share a single substance and power. God is three and God is one simultaneously in a relationship that shares knowledge, power, and wisdom. The deep integration of the Persons of the Trinity is sometimes described by the Greek word perichoresis.

My favorite image of perichoresis is that of a circle dance where the dancing individuals whirl and swing in such rhythm and unity that it seems as if they are a single living entity. Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer joined together in a dance of love--separate, but together.*

Even though we resemble our Creator, being made for relationship, we need to be reminded. Often we refuse to hear the music, we refuse to see that we have a place in the circle between our Creator and our neighbor. It is not enough to sit in the corner, sipping punch, when there is a dance going on. We are not designed to sit; we have data to prove it. We are created to dance. Jesus said we must love God, self, and neighbor.

Jesus said that we must be like children to enter the Kingdom of God.

Like a child, we must insist that someone join hands with us and begin to whirl.

     Pocket-full of posies,

Often it is difficult to find the words.

“Will you sit with me?”
“Will you join with me?”
“Will you dance with me?”

We feel we must bring our posies, picked and tied carefully, and offer them in addition to ourselves. We must offer our help or our advice. We must offer our resources or our talents. We must not come with empty pockets.

     Ashes, ashes,

But we all resemble Adam as well. Dust and ashes. We are all souls contained in heaps of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, and, in death, we will all release our components to be used by another. No matter what the trappings of our lives include, we must be willing to join the dance from the core of who we are as the image of the Trinity.

     We all fall down.

If we are designed to join in this dance, why are we so unsure of our feet? Why is relationship so hard? Why are people so compelling in general and so aggravating in specific?

Or

We are made to dance. We find each other when we listen to one another’s stories. When we face each other, we see the face of God. When we embrace the joy of the dance, we can allow the difficulties to exist as well.

What will you choose?

     Fishes in the water,

Because the One who created the water that fills the oceans and falls from your eyes is the One who became tears and sweat is the one who sparkles in the shine of the dew. This is the One who came together in the infinity of a singularity and the One who’s dream is flung over untold dimensions. This is the One who is love.

     Fishes in the sea,

Therefore. We cannot sit in our echo chambers, listening to our own voices. Therefore, we must allow the difficulties. Therefore we must speak and we must listen.

Therefore...

     We all jump up on,

     One, two, three!

Invitation to Missional Mindfulness:

• In this new year, whom will you ask to dance?

Based on: 
*Larry Duggins, Together, Portland, OR: Cascade Books, 2017

The Missional Wisdom Foundation Rule of Life

We hope you are enjoying our study of the Missional Wisdom Foundation Rule of Life. This is our last week to focus on The Rule. This way of life continually blesses us in many ways and we hope that you, our Dispersed Community, have been able to share in that blessing. If you would like a very nice, framable copy of the MWF Rule of Life, you can find several options in our Merchandise Store.