A Theology of Play
My Dear People,
As I read down the page, I could see below, in my peripheral vision, that the last line (on the page, and in the chapter) included a quotation; words spoken. And I knew that those words spoken would be a recognition. And I knew who would be recognized.
But I didn't want to get there prematurely.
So, as I continued reading, I kept my eyes trained above, and I laid my pinky over the last line; until I got there.
And, sure enough, with tears in her eyes, Scout said, "Hey, Boo."
And there were tears in my eyes too.
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It was 8th grade when I was supposed to have read To Kill A Mockingbird. However, soccer and girls were way, way more interesting at the time.
And so I never had read Harper Lee's exquisite little masterpiece, until, that is, this fall; in the year that the book's 50th anniversary is celebrated.
I finished on Monday night.
Tears filled my eyes, and I laughed out loud, more times than I could possibly count as I read the book.
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"Judge Taylor was on the bench, looking like a sleepy old shark, his pilot fish writing rapidly below in front of him..."
"One corner of the [Ewell's] yard, though, bewildered Maycomb. Against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums..."
"Some of his rural clients would park their long-eared steeds under the chinaberry trees in [our] back yard, and Atticus would often keep appointments on the back steps..."
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I'll never forget a friend of mine once saying that, occasionally, he and his wife will get the sense that something is just off, that they don't quite feel like themselves.
And then they'll realize that it's been too long since they've read some fiction.
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As Carl Jung said, "Without this playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable."
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The Imago Dei. Of the many things that come with being made in the image of God (being made to be like God), there is nothing more essential than the capacity for creativity, for play, for fantasy, for fiction, for imagination.
Without the imagination, the image of God becomes less distinct. Without the imagination, our humanity becomes less distinct.
To be who we were made to be, we must take time for the imagination.
For God's sake, and for our sake, we must make time for play.
Your brother in Christ,
Wallace+
