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THE CHAPLAIN’S CHAT
The Rev. Susanne Methven, Chaplain
An audible gasp accompanied the crashing down of a tower constructed with wooden building blocks during one Out of the Box story time in Memory Center. One resident immediately drew the underlay closer to himself and started playing with the pile of blocks. He built a structure. Another resident asked, "What is it?" He replied, "I don't know "
At each church service, I ask residents whether they have a prayer or a thanksgiving they would like to share with the gathered community. Usually, they share something. Sometimes someone will say, "I don't know."
The school year is beginning. Teachers want students to learn. They ask questions to find out what students know. What if we don't have the answer? Is it alright to say, " I don't know"?
Individually, we cannot know everything. All of us have things we don't know. Are there gifts in not knowing?
When the resident didn't know what he had built, there was room for others to imagine what the structure could be The structure he built was variously imagined as a diving board, a throne, and a synagogue.
When residents don't know what to pray, there is room for the Holy Spirit. When we don't know how to pray as we ought, the Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words and according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27)
When students say, "I don't know," that doesn't have to be the stopping point. A wise teacher will also ask, "Tell me something you do know that might be helpful." This encourages the student to keep thinking, as well as letting the teacher know where any misconceptions may be
There are gifts in not knowing: the imaginations and creativity of others, the promise that the Holy Spirit will speak in and through us, and in discovering what we do know.
God is a wise teacher. God asks us to tell God and others what we do know that might be helpful Twentieth century theologian Karl Barth, after years of study and thinking, was asked to summarize his theology in one sentence. He replied, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so "
When you are asked a question, feel free to reply, "I don't know " I wonder what you will discover!
