Limits and Imagination

February 28

Readings – GN 22:1-2, 9A, 10-13, 15-18; ROM 8:31B-34; MK 9:2-10

The first reading from Genesis, tells us the story of Abraham who is asked to sacrifice his son, Isaac. I mention this story because – with some of the stories in the bible – I do not think that they are meant to be read literally and this one, in particular, has been problematic for our theology over the years.  Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his own son?

Personally, I don’t think God requires this kind of sacrifice from us or asks us to do these kinds of loyalty tests .  What I think is metaphorically happening here is that God asks Abraham – and asks us – to not let anything get in the way of our faithfulness. Isaac was Abraham’s oldest son and, as such, was Abraham’s “security” for the future.

This, for me, is the heart of the story. God asks us to be prepared to surrender our security in whatever forms it takes in our lives. Jesus will echo this in his words when he says, “Seek first God’s kingdom…” or “what good does it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your soul in the process.” As individuals and as a collective, we have built up some mighty extensive security systems, and this story reminds us today to take our ultimate refuge in God.

Then in the gospel, Jesus has a deep mystical moment where he appears with Moses and Elijah. 

Again I am not sure this is an historical account so much as a teaching story.  You will recall that Moses and Elijah are two of the greatest Hebrew figures.  Moses was the great liberator who led the Israelites out of Egypt and was the bearer of the law.  Elijah, lesser known by Christians, was a great prophet and also a social agitator who caused problems for the leaders of the day because of his constant reminder that they had forgotten the covenant.

Jesus “appears” with these two figures because these are both of the ancestral lineages that he stands in and embodies. The love Jesus teaches is informed by these traditions and, I think, offers us two ideas to consider for our spiritual lives: law and imagination. 

Every living thing needs some form of structure in order to grow. Boundaries are essential in order for us to preserve what is most important.  The “law” teaches this to us.  On the other hand, creativity and imagination are central to our growth and development because law and structure can only replicate what came before them and can become rigid.  We all need to keep changing and adapting.

Lent is a time in order to bring some structure back to our spiritual lives.  We need to return to disciplines and practices and limits that re-center and re-place us.  The structure helps to right size us and our lifestyle.  We say, “No,” to certain things so that we can say a deeper, “Yes,” to others.

But when we intentionally create some of this spiritual space in our lives, we are now free to re-imagine what our lives and this world could look like. As we scale back, do less and distract ourselves less, God invites us to dream of a world where we live in harmony, where everyone has enough, where people feel cared for and included and where our planet is deeply respected.  This is the original covenant.

These two arms of love – limits and imagination – are needed more than ever.

For today reflect on some part of your life that is in excess somehow.  What needs to be limited?  And reflect on some part of life that requires new imagination for it to find wholeness again?  What needs to be invigorated?