Gathering
The Bible is a grand story of God gathering people. In the Bible it is clear that it is in God's nature to gather. The three members of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are not divided but gathered.
It's a challenge to comprehend the mystery of the Trinity. However, the Greek word perichoresis can help us understand. Peri means "around," like in the word perimeter. And chorein means "to make room." One understanding of perichoresis is "rotation" or in other words, "going around." Some have called this movement around in a circle as dance. All members of the dance move together, creating and making room for one another. And this is the astounding part. The Bible tells a story in which humanity is invited into this dance.
The Trinitarian Godhead, communal in nature, invites human beings into relationship, not only with God but also with one another. So when we gather, we embody the very nature of God and are given the opportunity to express love like God does.
Discover
Practice
Gathering on your own
Gathering with others
Go Deeper
Recommended Reading
If you are interested in this spiritual practice of gathering and you would like to explore more and with greater depth, here are some resources you might like to utilize:
Books
- Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition, Christine D. Pohl
- Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship, Gregory Boyle
- After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging, Willie James Jennings
- The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation, by Richard Rohr , Mike Morrell
- Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the Hidden Forces that Keep Us Apart, by Christena Cleveland
- Embracing the Other: The Transformative Spirit of Love, by Grace Ji-Sun Kim
- Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality, by Richard Beck
- The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World by Sandra Maria Van Opstal
Practice, not Perfect
"First, God calls all people to himself. Second, God calls his people to one another."
Sandra Maria Van Opstal