Imagination helped me as a child make a refrigerator box into a fort, my bicycle into a motorcycle, or a broom into a sword. Do you remember those days?
Why & when did we grow up and think we had stop using our imagination? Why does everthing have to black and white? Or why do we think we can not use our imagination when we read the bible?
Would it be so bad, if we let our imagination go to work when you read scripture? What might happen if we allowed ourself use our imaginatoin when we are reading or listen to scripture?
I would invite you to engage your imagination as you read and listen to the scripture readings. Allow your self to become a person within the text. Jesus' ministry was surrounded by friends, family, and strangers. People observed him and becuase of their observations we have accounts of his life. What if you were to put yourself in the story.
Take the story of Jesus at the temple as a boy (Luke 2:41-52). As you hear or read the story, imagine you are one of the church members watching this young boy (Jesus) setting and asking questions or imagine you are one of Jesus’ parents freaking out that he has come up missing. Allow yourself to be a member of the crowd that witnessed the life of Jesus.
Don't be afraid to imagine or wonder at what was happening. Ask questions like, how did I feel as I watched this child with the priest and leaders of the temple. Wonder and imagine what was going on around the temple. Imagine or wonder how other people were reacting to this young boys questions.
You could also imagine what questions Jesus was asking. Allow yourself to brought into the presence of Jesus. Seek hear how God might be trying to speak to you, where ever you might be in the crowd.
So what did you experience? What questions do you have now? How might your understanding of Jesus be different? I would love to hear how this experience works for you... I will be doing this for the 40 days leading up to Easter this year, as I journey to the Cross by reading The Gospel of Luke, and seeing Jesus journey to the Cross.
Have fun, enjoy, and I will hope that your journey might be richer no matter where you are in the crowd, because you have encounter the living God, through Jesus Christ.
