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"IMAGINE" When we were children, we had powerful imaginations. We believed. We believed that superheroes could fly. That evil could be defeated. We believed that we could be great human beings who made a difference when we grew up…doctors, nurses, teachers, firemen, astronauts. To imagine, is to believe in a dream, a vision, a story that is bigger than our present reality. To imagine, when one is 4 years old, is to believe that you will no longer be held back by the limitations of being only four, but can and will accomplish great and adventurous things. Do you remember? Do you remember what it was like to imagine great things? John Ciardi wrote a poem once called “Arvin Marvin Lillisbee Fitch.” Arvin Marvin Lillisbee Fitch Rode a broomstick like a witch Out the windows, over the trees, Above the hills, across two seas, And up and up on a wild moonbeam Till he came to the other side of his dream, Where he bumped his head a terrible thump On the top of the dark, and fell ker-flump!-- Down, down, down, down like a piece of lead, Till he landed--thud!--in his very own bed.
He didn’t cry, he didn’t scream. He simply said, “When next I dream, It seems to me it might be wise To keep my dreams a smaller size.”
So saying, he went back to sleep And dreamed about such things as sheep, And birthday parties and butter cups, And toothpaste tubes and spotted pups-- Good proper dreams, and none so tall That he ran any risk of a fall.
Arvin’s dreams were beautiful, But perhaps a little bit dull. In fact, but for the birthday cake He might as well have stayed awake. And in his sleep I heard him sigh, “It was more fun when I dreamed high!”
Imagination take us places, and I mean by that, much more than just the imaginary places we will go in the adventures of our mind. I mean that imagination is the seed of growth, that will literally move us forward and take us into a future that is shaped by that imagination. It was the imagination fueled by the promise of a land that flowed with milk and honey that took Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt, carried them through the desert, and delivered them finally, into Canaan. The people at their best, let their Holy imagination propel them forward into God’s promise and future. At their worst, they succumbed to their fears and perceived limitations. No doubt most of you have heard of one form or another of the Ghanaian folk story of the farmer who finds a newly hatched eagle chick and takes it home and raises it among his chickens.
Knowing no
other life, the eagle clucks, pecks and scratches in the ground Holy imagination occurs whenever we move forward into a future that is shaped by a vision, by a dream, by a story that is larger than ourselves, and can be achieved only with God’s help. Holy imagination is what the writer of 1 Peter employs when he tells the early Christian community “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” Using the promise first made to Abraham, then to Isaac, then to Jacob and finally to Moses, the words of 1 Peter remind us that we are part of that vision. Part of that larger story. Part of that bigger adventure than we could ever hope to accomplish on our own. Imagine the words of 1 Peter are true. “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,” What would the world look like, if this were true for all Christians? What would our community look like, if this were true of Christians in Dodge City? What would our church look like, if this were true for us? Imagine. Dare to be part of the bigger story. Dare to dream high. Oh sure, it’s safer to dream small dreams, but it’s more fun, its more adventuresome, and I dare say, it’s more faithful to dream high! Imagine the 1200 people in this church, believing that they are indeed God’s own chosen people? Imagine them all living and doing the will of God. Imagine 1200 people living as though they were part of God’s own royal household, a priesthood of believers seeking to serve in the name of Jesus Christ? Imagine what we would experience! Imagine what we could do! Imagine the impact we might have on this community, on this country, on this world! Imagine! You are wearing stickers with the word “imagine” on it. To remind you and to inspire you to be shaped by Holy Imagination. Recently, most of you received a letter from the church with a blue brochure that invited each of us to practice “forward steps” in our spiritual lives. On the back were 20 forward step suggestions any one of us might take. You were also sent and given today personal guides to help you begin to think about the forward step you might take in your giving to the church. On the back of that guide are two charts--one is a chart illustrating a forward step, to begin giving 10 % more than you are currently giving. The other chart illustrates a “step of faith,” to move one full step toward the tithe--if you give now 3% of your income, to give 4%. If you give 7% to begin giving 8 and so on. I want you to imagine with me the things that could happen with the resources made possible for God’s work if we each took a Step of Faith. We have approximately 700 households in our congregation. The average household income for Dodge City, according to Department of Labor statistics was 37,000 in 2000. (the most recent year a number was available.) If you have 700 households with an average income of 37,000 that represents 25.9 million dollars in income. In this congregation. God has given us a gift--and it amounts to about 25.9 million dollars! Have you ever thought of that? 25.9 million dollars of income. If those households all tithed, we’d have over 2 and a half million dollars every year available. Our current budget will be somewhere around 650,000. Imagine nearly 2 million dollars more available to do God’s work. How large would our gift to Hurricane Relief be then? How quickly could we build a chapel at Youthville then? How large would our scholarships be for our youth then? How many kids could we send to camp then? Imagine! Oh--preacher. You’re talking about tithing again--and not everyone gives, let alone tithe. Well, you’re right. That’s our present reality. Like an eagle in a chicken yard. But if we unlock our imaginations, and dare to dream high, dare to dream of an adventure only God could make possible….then we’re talking faith! Currently, just half of our households give to the church. Imagine if the half that gave began to tithe--God would provide nearly 1.3 million, still double our present budget. Imagine. Imagine the resources to fully staff our congregation, to provide the very best Christian education imaginable for our children and youth, to create opportunities for people in our community to meet Jesus Christ in significant ways that they might believe and be made new. Just imagine. A chosen people of God. Dare to dream. A royal priesthood of believers. Let your holy imagination carry you forward--to be holy nation. Right here. Right now. Imagine.
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