Notes from a Sojourn
April 2, 2020
Imagination
There is a film I have been wanting to see for a while. I have wanted to watch it ever since I heard it was being produced. Even though it has been released and is ready to be watched at home, I just cannot seem to sit down and watch it. The subject matter is dear to my heart; the lead actor is one of my favourites. But when I think about watching it, there is a nagging worry that the movie might not be as good as I have built it up to be in my mind. What if it isn't as great as I expect?
Sometimes I get this built up sense of anticipation and expectation before going on a trip, starting a book, or even meeting somebody else for the first time.
It's realistic to worry about being disappointed by an anticipated experience. But should that really stop us from reaching out and experiencing the world? What if this worry about being disappointed keeps us from reaching out and experiencing God's presence?
Ephesians 3 contains a phrase familiar to many of us. In his letter, Paul offers "Glory to God, whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine."
Everybody has been disappointed by life's experiences. Paul would have known this reality also. When he invites us to praise God, Paul invites us to bring all of our anticipations and expectations with us, but as we do so, we are invited to encounter something so much more powerful than whatever we can conjure up on our own. That powerful reality is God's love, revealed in our life together.
I may or may not get around to watching that movie. But as I think about our life in faith together, I pray that God's love will continue to inspire and sustain us as a community of believers, and that we will always be open to encounter God's power working in our common life together!
Patrick+
