Now a man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with asphalt and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. Then his sister stood at a distance in order to see what would happen to him. Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe at the Nile while her servant girls walked along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds, sent her slave girl, took it, opened it, and saw him, the child — and there he was, a little boy, crying. She felt sorry for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew boys.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Should I go and call a Hebrew woman who is nursing to nurse the boy for you?” “Go,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. So the girl went and called the boy’s mother. Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.” —Exodus 2:1-10
“It is essential for us to develop an imagination that is participatory.” —Eugene Peterson
We should imagine our futures in
God is involved in your
“He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 1:6
“For I know the plans I have for you…plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” —Jeremiah 29:11
The gift of imagination must be paired with
“Simeon and Levi are brothers; their knives are vicious weapons..their anger they kill men…Their anger is cursed, for it is strong, and their fury, for it is cruel! —Genesis 49:5-7
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” —Proverbs 3:5-6
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” —1 John 5:1
Taking steps to make our imagination reality requires
“When he was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. When he saw one of them being mistreated, he came to his rescue and avenged the oppressed man by striking down the Egyptian. He assumed his people would understand that God would give them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.” —Acts 7:23-25
“When Pharaoh heard about this, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well.” —Exodus 2:15
“After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor, and they cried out, and their cry for help because of the difficult labor ascended to God. God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the Israelites, and God knew.” —Exodus 2:23-25
“He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?” —Romans 8:32
Your life is part of God’s grand story of
“It is essential for us to develop an imagination that is participatory.” —Eugene Peterson
For further study:
Scripture: Genesis 15:7-21; Acts 7:17-36; Hebrews 11:23-29
Resources: Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination Journal; https://petersoncenter.org/journal/
Community Group Guide:
Have you considered imagination as a tool for growth given by God?
Read Exodus 2 (or have someone summarize the chapter):
How do you see Moses using his imagination in this chapter?
Does contemplating this help you develop your imagination?
Consider engaging your imagination for your future with God: we are to discern, act in humility, and see ourself in God’s story.
What is the easiest for you?
What is the most difficult for you?
How can others pray for you in relation to this?
What do you imagine God wants to do through:
You
Your Community Group
New Circle Church
Conclude with this prayer: “God, give us eyes to see the wideness of your world, shimmering with beauty and holiness. Stimulate our imaginations, infusing us with courage and hope. Surround us with friendship. Plant us as seeds of resurrection. Amen.”
To prepare for next week: The Burning Bush; Exodus 3-4