One morning at breakfast in the church I served in Norfolk, a little boy about five years old came up and tugged on my sleeve. He was smiling--a big, mischievous smile. "Wanna hear a great joke?"
"Sure," I said.
He said, "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
Somehow I couldn't imagine how a Why did the chicken joke could be great. But his smile was great, so I gamely replied, "I don't know. Why did the chicken cross the road?"
With a voice and affect of a teacher passing on the coolest insight in the world he declared, "To show the possum it Can Be Done!"
All of us at the table laughed and laughed. This was 20 years ago. I still think this really is one of the coolest insights in the world.
In 15 words he'd given me as good a definition of Incarnation as I've ever heard.
When Jesus invited people to "Come and see!" what was he inviting them to come and see?
When Einstein said, "Problems can't be solved at the level of consciousness that created them," what was he trying to tell us?
As we all discover, there are a million ways to be wrong, to be hurt, to get tired of being hurt. In one way it's really wise to stop trying to cross the road. Better to stay where we are than to be road-kill.
But then here comes that chicken, crossing the un-crossable. And if we're open and honest, we won't keep telling ourselves it can't be done.
If we're open and honest we'll say to ourselves, "Holy crap--it can be done!"
And then maybe, "It's possible--I just don't know how to do it."
Living in the tension of the not yet possible can be very unpleasant. We often beat ourselves up for not doing what we 'should be able to do.'
On the other hand, living in the tension of the not yet possible can be energizing, stimulating--it can connect us to the very positive sense of curiosity and hopefulness.
One of the great gifts of life is to witness other people crossing roads we haven't yet been able to navigate. This is one of the ways God gets into the world.
Jesus says, Come and see! Einstein nudges us to another level of consciousness. A little kid, five years old, gives his assistant rector some of the most helpful assistance he's ever had.
There are a lot of roads we don't know how to cross...yet.
"Oh, Lord," let us pray, "keep sending us evolved chickens."
