It's Brave to Stretch Your Imagination
Fourth Week of Advent
It’s difficult for me to form a mental image that contradicts the ones hanging on the walls and windows of churches. The stained glass windows often depict a Caucasian Holy Family. Travel through your local art museum, and you may find Mary holding a baby Jesus whose skin skews toward the pink.
Forming a new image of Jesus feels like a betrayal of what I used to think or believe.
Yet, I know that the Holy Family lived in an area where they were more likely to have brown rather than pale skin. Despite this truth, I struggle to imagine Jesus with a dark complexion. The images that come to mind when I’m meditating on Jesus’ birth are informed by my lifelong experiences in churches like the one above.
The failure of my imagination extends further than skin tone. I have a hard time thinking of Mary being anything other than peacefully content. Somehow, the Mary of my imagination is never cold, tired, hungry, afraid, or lonely. Yet, she was human so she must have shared experiences common to all humans.
Why does it matter what I do in the privacy of my own meditative imagination?
If my imagination were scripting the birth story of a deity, I would imagine Him looking like whoever is the most attractive person in my culture, acting like those in power act, and always coming out on top.
I would not have chosen for God to arrive as a powerless baby born to an invisible couple. I would not have included women of questionable reputations in the God-baby’s lineage. Nor would I have given Him enemies He could not fight against so early in His story.
The Incarnation is a mind-blowing, imagination-stretching miracle. The God of mercy was born to a family on the margins to give hope to all of humanity.
In this last week of Advent, I pray we each have the courage to flex the muscles of our imaginations to ponder a new image of Jesus.
May you each have a most Happy Christmas and a New Year filled with courage to love without counting the costs. XO
Something to Read
If you have a little extra time in the coming days, I highly recommend this article by
on The Mystery of Mary.
Thanks for the recommendation my friend. Merry Christmas
What goes on in our imaginations has very real world consequences- thank you for writing about this important and often overlooked aspect of the incarnation.