In addition to enjoying a dalliance with God, Margery Kempe’s intimate prayer time with the almighty God sometimes resulted in imagining herself participating in Biblical events.
I do not know if this was a Holy Spirit inspired meditation or more akin to a vision. As one blessed with a vivid imagination, I can certainly understand the former, but having an occasional vision, I see great power in the later.
Either way, be it through our mind or through our spirit, having a personal and present connection with past events can provide fresh perspectives and new insights that cannot be gleaned merely from a passive reading of scripture.
Although sometimes movies (I’m thinking of “The Ten Commandments” or “The Passion of the Christ”) can aptly aid us in “experiencing” the past, they can also serve to misinform or under represent.
Even so, movie watching is a passive activity.
Margery Kempe didn’t watch Biblical events unfold, she participated in them.
Can you imagine helping to distribute the food when Jesus fed the 5,000?
Or been a servant waiting on Joseph when he was reunited with his brothers?
Or been in the army of Israel when young David slung a stone into Goliath’s forehead?
Or been the person who felt strangely compelled to prepare a room for the Passover meal for no particular reason, only to have Jesus’ disciples later request to use it?
Rather we go there in our minds or in our spirits, our spiritual heritage is a great place to visit—drawing us closer to God in the process.
We need to follow the example of Margery Kempe.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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