Cloister Thoughts
Cloister thoughts…
This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday. This day marks the end of the church year. It’s the last Sunday before Advent begins, the day in the liturgical year when we give emphasis to Jesus Christ as “King of kings and Lord of lords,” to use a phrase from the book of Revelation.
The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians uses language that is grand, mythical and at times mystical. Paul describes Jesus as: image of the invisible God; first-born of all creation; in Him all things were created in heaven and on earth; visible and invisible; He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. What a mouth full – but for heaven’s sake – what does it mean?
Just take the first phrase and unpack it! Jesus is the image of the invisible God? How can something or someone be an image of something or someone invisible? And then – Jesus is – “the first-born of all creation”? What on earth is Paul talking about?
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The writer of Hebrews says that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Such faith is not possible for human beings without imagination.
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One approach to answer is to note that Paul isn’t talking about anything on earth; he’s talking about things in a heavenly realm – which is why we struggle to understand his words. How can Paul or anyone else talk about things that are divine and have them make sense to mere mortals? How can this make sense as a prophetic word of hope to us?
As I struggle with such questions, my thoughts go to a course I once took – “Ears to Hear and Eyes to See: Insights into Religious Imagination.” We noted in the class that imagination is not held in high regard in the world. Oh, it’s okay for artists and children to use their imaginations, but in the real, adult world, we want empirical data; we want cold, hard facts. When we say someone has a vivid imagination – that description is meant as a criticism.
However, faith isn’t possible without imagination. The writer of Hebrews says that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Such faith is not possible for human beings without imagination. There are some things we cannot see or hear or touch. Only imagination can bring them to life. For example, there are some days I just simply need to imagine my maternal grandmother who died when I was a sophomore in high school, but who was such an incredible mentor for me. There are days when I need to see her smile, hear once again her wisdom, and watch her break out into laughter. I find that in those poignant moments – a smile and a radiance coming to my face and a glow spot in my heart. That’s the power of imagination at work. It’s a gift from God.
Paul Wilson says that the imagination of the heart takes our experience of the world and shows us new possibilities. It opens mystery to us. It gives us the ability both to see this world as it is, with Christ in the midst of our brokenness, and to imagine a world different from our own, a world already transfigured by Christ’s love. The Bible is full of imagination. Without imagination – Christians could not communicate anything about hopes, fears, faith. In Colossians, Paul has resorted to the language of imagination. He is trying to describe a paradox, a great mystery – that the same Jesus who had no wealth, no prestige, and no earthly power in his lifetime, who ended his life hanging from a Roman gallows, is also the risen Jesus who is king of kings and lord of lords. In him all things are held together. Imagine the fullness of that statement. Imagine that time when there will be peace for all, that time when we all place our hand in the hand of the other and walk to God.
Join me as we celebrate Christ the King on Sunday, Rick
