What happened to imagination?

-->

I marvel at the imagination of children. Each Wednesday, they stretch me with their comments and their requests. That’s why I love to grab the Play Doh and attempt to respond to their requests. Today it was Papa Smurf! Sometimes it’s well beyond my ability. But, it always makes me smile. As adults, I believe that creativity is a precious commodity. Often it’s lost in our “grown-up-ness” (don’t try to find that in the dictionary). It’s a shame. Carefully consider the following quote.

“Exercising leadership is an expression of your aliveness. But your life juice – your creativity and daring, your curiosity and eagerness to question, your compassion and love for people – can seep away daily as you get beat up, put down or silenced…self-protection makes sense; the dangers are real.” (Heifetz and Linsky (2002), Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading. Ronald A. Heifetz & Marty Linsky. p. 225)

Each and every time I have shared this quote with a group of leaders I have watched how deeply it resonated. You don’t have to be a CEO or a pastor to understand the application. If you have ever allowed yourself to be vulnerable as a leader, you understand. But, don’t let your creativity die. Remember the words of Jesus. In order to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must become as little children (Matthew 5:3). His words remind me to open my heart rather than become engaged in the type of “self-protection” that stifles creativity and trust. Jesus understood that “faith” requires us to recapture some of the essence of childhood. 

Repentance

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

Isaiah 40:3

I have enjoyed studying the time between the Old and New Testaments. The magnitude of change was epic. As always, it’s tempting to insert my perspective into that time period and miss the mark. For example, I already know that Jesus will be born in Bethlehem and walk the road to the cross. It’s intriguing to set aside that knowledge and wonder. What was it like to live in a time with various types of Messianic expectations? How were those expectations shaped by massive political, religious and social culture shifts?

Into the mix, a voice emerged. Before Jesus appeared, God raised up a man to prepare the way. The prophetic description is startling. The man we know as John the Baptist was born to be a voice crying in the wilderness. In the four centuries preceding John, the Persian kingdom gave way to Alexander the Great. The Greek empire fell into disarray. For a period of time, the land of Israel was sandwiched between the forces of Syria and Egypt and suffered at the hands of both. After gaining a respite of autonomy, along came Rome. Then John the Baptist brought a message about another “kingdom”. How do you prepare for the kingdom of heaven? According to Matthew 3:2, John said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

John’s message spoke to the need of the moment. But, it’s not a stretch for me to allow this words to pierce my heart this morning. The call to repentance echoes throughout the Old and New Testament and it resonates today. I need to turn to God and recognize that His kingdom is superior to all others. It is a call to turn my focus and allegiance to God. If I’m honest, there is a sense of urgency in John’s message that hasn’t diminished.

Listening

"The key to leadership is making the inaudible become audible and the invisible become visible. The initial mode of leadership is receptivity: hearing, not speaking...You can listen and not hear"   Leonard Sweet

This morning in Preschool Chapel, I continued my talk about "God's helpers". We talked about Moses. In terms of "God's helpers" in the Bible, Moses is a Hall of Famer. So I thought it was about time to put together my best Play Doh rendition and go for it. According to some of the astute art critics in the room, Moses looks like Santa Claus. So, Christmas in July is alive and well. The message today was simple. I tried to encourage the kids to develop something that most of God's helpers seem to have in common. They were good listeners. When God spoke, they heard.

It's funny. My biggest "fear" back when I started doing chapel for these active preschoolers was that I would be unable to hold their attention. I was afraid that they would not hear what I was saying. I was wrong. I think I should be more concerned with our ability to "hear" as adults. Leonard Sweet, in his book, "Summoned to Lead" draws attention to our tendency to "listen" and not "hear". Back in the first century, it was necessary for James to extol the virtues of being "swift to hear and slow to speak". I have recognized that the older I get, the more "hearing" deteriorates and speaking accelerates. It's not a good combination. For leaders in the making, it's a great reminder to cultivate receptivity.

The Jesus Way

While studying the time between the Old Testament and New Testament last week, I re-discovered this description of the emergence of the Pharisees. Eugene Peterson has a gift with words. As I read it, I quickly lost track of the application to men who walked around Jerusalem during the first century and the message found its way into my heart.

“Imagine yourself moving into a house with a huge private window overlooking a grand view across a wide expanse of water enclosed by a range of snow-capped mountains. You have a ringside seat before wild storms and cloud formations, the entire spectrum of sun-illuminated colors in the rocks and trees and wildflowers and water. You are captivated by the view. Several times a day you interrupt your work and stand before this window to take in the majesty and the beauty, thrilled with the botanical and meteorological fireworks. One afternoon you notice some bird droppings on the window glass, get a bucket of water and a towel, and clean it. A couple of days later a rainstorm leaves the window streaked, and the bucket comes out again. Another day visitors come with a tribe of small dirty-fingered children. The moment they leave you see all the smudge-marks on the glass. They are hardly out the door before you have the bucket out. You are so proud of that window, and it’s such a large window. But it’s incredible how many different ways foreign objects can attach themselves to that window, obscuring the vision, distracting from the contemplative beauty. Keeping that window clean develops into an obsessive-compulsive neurosis. You accumulate ladders and buckets and squeegees. You construct a scaffolding both inside and out to make it possible to get to all the difficult corners and heights. You have the cleanest window in North America – but it’s now been years since you looked through it. You’ve become a Pharisee.  Because of this slow shift from an interior passion to an exterior performance and the shift of attention from the majesty of God to housecleaning for God, the Pharisees, at the time of Jesus were not, as a group, very attractive.”

Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way

The way of the Pharisee is understandable. They felt it necessary to respond to the pressures of a rapidly changing culture. That is courageous. They felt it necessary to focus on preservation of the Law. That is admirable. But, gradually, a new identity emerged. It became an identity that was externally defined. Their separation from the world became a separation from the God they claimed to worship. Instead of being known for holiness, they became known for their “self-righteousness”. For many of them, their quest became laden with unintended consequences. Many of them did not recognize Jesus when He came. Many did not follow Jesus, love Jesus or serve the mission of Jesus. In fact, many wanted to kill Jesus even though He is the way, the truth and the life.

Harry the Penguin

Chapel began this morning with a request to make a penguin. To be honest with you, I was relieved. As far as Play Doh sculptures go, a penguin is not as tough as some. So, the result was a cute little guy with big feet and honest eyes.

He has one of those looks that says “take me home”. I invited the kids to give him a name. That’s always a treat. The consensus name was “Harry”. Harry is special indeed. I doubt there is another penguin anywhere named “Harry”. Harry had a lesson for us today. I shared with the kids that Harry is not very good at flying, but he’s a great swimmer. In addition to that, Harry can do something that I can’t do. Namely, Harry can enjoy really cold weather! In fact, He is content in icy cold water. The Apostle Paul would tell us that Contentment is the best state to call home. (Philippians 4:11). It’s a great reminder of the importance of daily gratitude.

While I confess that I love summer and I love the hot and dry weather that (normally) accompanies July, I am learning to give thanks every day. The other day I was leaving the grocery store and offered up a slightly derogatory comment about the rain. Immediately, a lady behind me in line gave a gentle correction, “Rain is a blessing”. Indeed it is a blessing. This week, my heart is heavy for the families of the firefighters who gave their lives in service near Prescott Arizona. While living near Prescott, I loved to drive up a rugged road to an overlook. It was one of those quiet places with an incredible view looking toward Yarnell. I loved to go there to pray. Now, from here, I pray for the people of Prescott and Yarnell.

Treasured Possession

“On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.
Malachi 3:17
 
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9
 
So how did you feel this morning when you greeted the day?  Valuable? Treasured? Our feelings can betray us, especially on a Monday morning. As the day wears on, think about your value a little more deeply. Before the end of the last book in the Old Testament there is a beautiful verse. God referred to His people as a treasure. Also, notice that the verse speaks of a coming day of judgment.  The message of judgment in Malachi is tempered with an expression of God’s compassion toward His treasured people. Even though the first couple of chapters enumerate several transgressions such as infidelity, corrupt priests and contemptible sacrifices God has a redemptive promise for His people. Malachi echoes the words in Zechariah, “Return to Me and I will return to you”.

Fast forward a few centuries and read the words of the Apostle Peter. Peter describes the transformational power of God's grace. People called out of darkness are “God’s special possession”. Peter knew a thing or two about deserving judgment and receiving compassion. When Peter denied Jesus it was a dark moment. In the next verse Peter talks about the gift of God's mercy. The fact that I have received mercy from God is a substantial reminder of what it means to be a treasured possession. My life matters to my Creator. And so does yours.