Reflection by Nancy Jo Bleier, Worship Leader
Scriptures: Psalm 32; Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11
Reflection - 2/22/26. First Sunday in Lent.
Nancy Jo Bleier, Worship Leader
I was recommended a small book by Paul A. Gilbert called Reclaiming your Imagination. My cousin, David Wright suggested it. Pastor Paul, who is lead pastor at Grace Fellowship in Buffalo, Wyoming, did a wonderful dedication of this book to my cousin and his wife, Marietta. To tell you the truth I would have not read this book if David had not suggested it.
Pastor Paul talks about how as children we have sharp imaginations. As we age others tell us what we are thinking is “just your imagination”. What if God gave us this “ability to see something in our minds what we cannot see with our physical eyes.”
Imagination can be a desire of the heart or mind. It can be for creativity like making a quilt, planting a garden, cooking a new cookie recipe or building a computer program.
We use it more as adults than we realize. We use it remembering past times filling in pieces of what we think happened.
When we take communion we call on our imagination to be spirit-led when we hear the words “Let’s make our Holy Communion in the Body and Blood of Christ given to his people and received by faith.”
I like how Pastor Paul says “often, when God wants to show us something - a calling, mission or a direction- God uses our imagination. God might plant a vivid picture, a stirring idea, or a creative vision on our minds.“ He suggests “embracing our imagination is an act of faith”.
We often want God to do something for us and we wait. If we look closer to Jesus we see a different pattern called: partnership. Partnership with the disciples to spread the gospel and love one another. Partnership with us to do the same. This requires faith and often stepping into situations that seem impossible or beyond our abilities. Um…sounds like the situation we are now in with St Peter’s. It takes deep listening and imagination.
Let’s talk about being tempted as Jesus was in our Gospel from Matthew 4: 1-11.
So have you ever been tempted? Maybe eating an extra piece chocolate cake? Or tell someone a secret you promised not to reveal? Or doing something that would have been illegal?
Has your imagination taken you to where Jesus was today? Here he was in the wilderness fasting for forty days and nights. He was famished and being tempted by the devil three times.
Wow, turning rocks into bread; going up on pinnacle of the temple and throwing himself off so angels can catch him; taking him to high mountains and he could have the all the kingdoms of the world… Jesus told him three times how it was written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’; “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ And the last ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ The devil left him and the angels came to serve.
This took a lot of imagination to produce these images. When we put ourselves into this scene we are using our imaginations. It is powerful and can be life changing.
When we picture the worst case scenario over and over it is worry going in the wrong direction. In today’s scripture we don’t hear Jesus worrying about how he going to make it through the fasting and what if the devil comes visiting. He is going forward saying what Scripture says to do. Worry is faith going the wrong way. We can use the same mental energy to vision, to create and have courage praying with hope and thanksgiving .
So maybe you thought you have lost your imagination. We can think God hasn’t been talking to us. So when our minds wander maybe like during this service, lighten up and listen deeply. You might be surprised.
I leave you with a paraphrased prayer by Pastor Paul.
“God, I come before you today asking for the mind of Christ… Help me to adopt His humility, His wisdom, and His love in all my relationships and decisions. Open my heart to Your Spirits guidance, so I can discern Your voice and reflect Your character more clearly. May I be humble in service, bold in faith, and compassionate in all I do… Help me to live each day honoring You in every thought and action. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”