8 12 18 - Progressive XN - Imagination - Rev. Dr. Ann L. Rosewall - First Congregational Church of Evanston, UCC

Jeremiah 29:8-14; Philippians 4:4-9 8 12 18
The Progressive Christian’s Response to the Human Condition: Imagination

Today we are in the second part of a series on the Progressive Christian’s
Response to the Human Condition. In the first part, last Sunday, we touched on
the conditions of violence in which humans live – the violence of racism, poverty,
physical abuse, and depersonalized international attacks. We looked at a process
of receiving the information; reflecting on it with the resources of conversation,
scripture, community organizations, and identifying patterns; and then
responding through openness to others and changing our behavior so the violent
patterns cannot continue.
Somewhere in the middle of preaching that sermon, (literally as I was
preaching) I thought to myself, “this is really heavy! Where is the hope here? Is it
going to be enough to say that coming together at the communion table is
reflection and response?” So after extricating myself from a depressive funk
triggered by my own sermon (!) I turned to the scripture taped to my mirror – the
Philippians passage that admonishes us to think on the pure, honorable, pleasing
and commendable things of life as a pathway to peace. Right there in front of me
was a prime example of the human condition in which we live – a condition of
imagination.
We imagine things all the time. As with the Philippians passage I just read,
we imagine what the peace of God is like. We imagine ourselves in new homes,
or new hairstyles. You and I imagine what retirement might be like – or what it
would be like to be back at work. It is common to imagine what one might do
with a million dollars. But MORE commonly, we find ourselves imagining not the
best of what life might offer, rather the worst.
1
Nicholas Petrie in his article in the Harvard Business Review1 actually
suggests considering negative outcomes as a way to combat stress. For instance,
if you are totally wigged out about seeing someone from your past, the way to
decrease your anxiety is to imagine the worst case scenario of that reunion, figure
out how to deal with that, then any other scenario will seem manageable.
Most psychologists actually discourage this notion, seeking to diminish
what they call “catastrophic thinking.” I call it “awfulizing.” It’s when we spin out
of control, believing that the conditions of life are not ever going to get better,
instead they are going to get worse. Climate change is bad now, but imagine 10
years from now! Deaths by gun violence are increasing, soon the entire nation
will look like a war zone, and not just our inner cities. Many civil rights are being
challenged today, as well as the code of hospitality on which much of our
Christian faith is founded – so catastrophic thinking leads us to imagine a
dystopian future such as The Handmaid’s Tale in which there are no rights, and
we are stripped of individuality.
So when we identify imagination as part of the human condition, we can
conclude that it is both a positive and negative aspect of our lives. The ability to
imagine a future distinct from the present moment can potentially trigger
depression or hopefulness. The future story we choose to imagine can essentially
determine our current emotional or spiritual state.
What, then, is the response of the Progressive Christian? Remember, when
I use the term “progressive Christian” I am referring to Christians who find more
grace and value in questioning than in absolutes. I am referring to followers of
Jesus who express their faith in their behavior toward others. Progressive
1
https://www.thecut.com/2017/03/to-combat-stress-imagine-the-worst-case-scenario.html
2
Christians, in my definition, are those who are open to multiple expressions of
humanity and divinity.
Progressive Christians engage the conversation and challenge negative
future stories. By virtue of our faith in the person, teaching and truth that Jesus
lived, we are obliged/ we have the responsibility to harness imagination for
creating positive future stories. We are responsible for teaching the children in
our midst that we are part of making God’s world better; for teaching them about
forgiveness and transformation. We have a role in this life, in this community,
nation and world, to proclaim as confidently as we can, that humankind is not
lost. As people of faith, we have the unique call to construct creatively a future
that supports the well-being of all people, not just some.
First we need to imagine the way things might be. We imagine that the
injuries done to each other can be healed, and relationships rebuilt. We model
how divisions can be restored and separations reconciled. Our role is to call upon
the stories of scripture as well as our own stories as evidence that no matter how
despairing we may become as a human race, God’s presence and promise plays a
part in turning things around.
The reading from the prophet Jeremiah was taken from the time when the
people of God were living in exile, torn from their homes, left without shelter and
clothing and separated from children. They were in agony, then they were
resigned to believe that things would never get better and they were destined to
die in captivity. God had a positive future story for the people, and through
Jeremiah, helped them to imagine what it would be like. The people heard God’s
message: I will restore your nation, your wealth, your families and will bring you
back to a place that is home. God planted a vision in the imagination of the
3
people through the prophet Jeremiah. God still plants these visions in our
imaginations.
When you are feeling beleaguered by the news, by politics, by illness, by
loss or by inner turmoil, know that there are Jeremiahs in your midst, speaking
the imagination of God to bring you into a positive future. You may even be that
Jeremiah for someone else, casting an idea of something better into the mix, or
suggesting an alternative story that includes well-being instead of frustration.
This is our response as progressive Christians, to be agents of God’s
imagination, or even to be the one to point out where the agents of God’s
imagination can be heard. You and I have a role in proclaiming the words of God
that we first heard through Jeremiah:
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says

the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give
you a future with hope.
Amen.
4
Jeremiah 29: 8-14;
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the
prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do
not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are
prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says
the LORD. For thus says the LORD: Only when Babylon’s seventy
years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my
promise and bring you back to this place. For surely I know the
plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare
and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.Then when
you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.When
you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your
heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD, and I will restore your
fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places
where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back to
the place from which I sent you into exile.
Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your
gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry
about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Finally, beloved, whatever is
true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any
excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about
these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and
received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be
with you.

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Jeremiah 29:8-14; Philippians 4:4-9 8 12 18

The Progressive Christian’s Response to the Human Condition: Imagination

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says

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