Well IMAGINE that?

In 1971, John Lennon wrote the song 'Imagine' encouraging us to imagine a world at peace without borders, religion, nationality, or attachment to material possessions.  

This song, 'Imagine,' is intended as a message for our world: choose anarchy over order, insults over compliments, greed over generosity, crass over clever, profane over profound, hatred over love, war over peace, and violence over peace. 
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This song 'Imagine' shares a hope for bliss in this world that is a mess, while I would happily settle for imagining my world without rush-hour traffic, fewer aches and pains in my body,  and where calories I consume would treat my waistline with a bit of respect.

John Lennon's Imagine shares a 'nice' broad brush imagination of a 'world living as one.' Still, without the Gospel message (not the religions of man), this tumultuous world can only place its hope in the devices and schemes of finite man. These well-meaning but finite plans ultimately fail when compared with the perfect ways of our Omnipotent, Omnipresent, perfect-in-love Heavenly Father.

Note: It seems silly to compare the 'imaginings' of the Creator of All Things with the collective wisdom of all men from all times. The 'infinity edge' goes to God.
DROP THE MIC!

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Next, let's fast forward 30 years from John Lennon's 1971 song Imagine to 2001, when Bart Millard of the Christian Music band MercyMe released the song 'I Can Only Imagine.' This MercyMe song ponders some day Heaven and be standing before our Heavenly Father. 

But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Cor 2:9 

With this all in mind, let me share the side-by-side lyrics of 'Imagine' and 'I Can Only Imagine.' I will call this...  'The Dueling Imaginations'

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"Imagine" - John Lennon
​Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only the sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today... Aha-ah...
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Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace... You...


You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one


Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world... You...


You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

"I Can Only Imagine" - MercyMe
I can only imagine what it will be like
When I walk, by your side
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
When your face is before me
I can only imagine
I can only imagine


Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus
Or in awe of You be still
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah
Will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
I can only imagine


​I can only imagine when that day comes
When I find myself standing in the Son
I can only imagine when all I would do is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for You, Jesus
Or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall
Will I…

​For those of you who kept reading this blog until the end, I pray you enjoyed and were blessed by doing a little Imagining where peace on Earth today and the promise of Heaven someday is found in Christ alone.

Jeff (Imagining cartoons) Larson
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