Burlap

I see threads woven together to form a tapestry.
I see people woven together by the hand of God.

St. Paul called it the Body of Christ.
Yeshua, the Anointed, spoke of it as the Kingdom of God, now, yet still to come.
Islam holds to the “ummah”, the nation of Islam, transcending political borders.
Ezekiel saw the Jewish people as a corporate entity, the daughter of God, Jerusalem.

They spoke of a composite entity – a living organism – composed of people, woven into a living breathing tapestry; woven by God.

I see this woven tapestry as a piece of burlap; strong, tightly bound in the center, but loose and frayed on its edges; sometimes damaged, ripped and torn.

We tend to worry about these outer frayed-edges. Ultimately we're concerned about this piece of burlap coming undone.

The master weaver is God, for it is only God that can successfully weave these pieces of thread into this piece of material, this beautiful piece of cloth. But with every piece of cloth there are unfinished ends...frayed edges. The question must be asked, what are we to do with these rough edges? Are we to hem them into an ascetically pleasing finish? Or are we to simply cut them off? Perhaps burn them? Should we pull them off; tear them out? Who are these frayed edges?

We should not hem the frayed edges in to make a homogeneous seam and edge. This is to hide and tuck these people away and out of sight. We should not cut them off because they have as important of a roll to play in this tapestry. Once a frayed edge is cut off it is only a matter of time until the next row of thread breaks and becomes the frayed edge, thus eating away, or diminishing the whole of the cloth. We should not attempt to pull them off, or pull them out because, again, it will unravel this beautiful cloth.

They are both the most fragile part and the most critical part of this beautiful piece of cloth. They are the most fragile part because they must be delicately cared for. They are easily undone and easily lost. Any structure or institution is only as strong as its weakest part. Yet they are the most critical part of this cloth because it is these fringe-dwellers which actually hold this cloth together. Once a loose thread is pulled out it begins the process of unraveling the entire cloth. It is these frayed edges that inadvertently stop the undoing of this piece of burlap. And let's be absolutely clear on this one point; God does not unravel these pieces of thread, man does.

But these fragile frayed edges also have the unique opportunity to bind other edges – to eventually form a much larger cloth. They can connect many pieces into a singular 'quilt'; a unified body.

This site – Burlap – isn't about selling one's beliefs. It's about resigning them. It's about connecting. It is about moving beyond the syntheses.