Dreams

“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.”
― John Lennon

          The Bible is full of dreams, visions, and revelations.  The Nativity stories are no exception.  When you want to convey a God-infused moment, send an angel and disrupt the ordinary patterns of life. 

            Zechariah had his “day dream” within the confines of the Temple.  He was alone there, performing the rituals of the day in his role as Priest.  Suddenly he is overwhelmed with the sense of the Holy as manifested by the angel Gabriel.  That by itself would be enough to make an impression.  However, it was the message that was important.  He was to be a father in his old age.  His wife, well past child-bearing years, would bear a son who would be the one to set the stage for the fulfillment of prophesies, the coming of the Messiah.  Maybe “dreams” are more difficult to accept when they happen during daytime.  Zechariah made fun of such an outlandish idea.  Morale of his story – don’t ridicule the words of an angel!  Zechariah had to live with nine months of silence as he lost his ability to speak until, lo and behold, the dream became reality.

            A young teenager had one of those daytime dreams.  Like any teenager she probably had any number of dreams, both during the day and in her sleep – dreams about how her life would unfold.  One day, Mary would experience the Holy in a way far beyond anything she had ever imagined.  According to the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel was busy again.  This time the Holy Dream/Visitation was in the town of Nazareth and with this teenager named Mary who was betrothed, “promised”, to Joseph.  Once again Gabriel had some birthing news to convey.  This Mary had been chosen to bear and give birth to Jesus, the promised Messiah, the promised successor to King David.  I can imagine the few sputtering responses to be similar to when one is trying to come out of an intense dream.  “This is a dream”.  “Go back to sleep, this isn’t happening.”  “It can’t be happening because it is a preposterous scenario.”  Only Mary’s dream or vision was real.  We know the full story.  That moment of Holy Encounter changed the world.

            Mary’s reality led to another dream.  Here she is in full charge as she dreams of a new time – a new world – new possibilities.  Her magnificent poem we call the Magnificat outlines her dream:

            My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

            for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

            Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

            for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

            and holy is his name.

            His mercy is for those who fear him

            from generation to generation.

            He has shown strength with his arm;

            he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

            He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

            and lifted up the lowly;

            he has filled the hungry with good things,

            and sent the rich away empty.

            He has helped his servant Israel,

            in remembrance of his mercy,

            according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

            Abraham and to his descendants forever.

           

            Joseph would also have a life-changing dream.  His would come while he was asleep, although as with the others, an angel would be featured.  Joseph was the man to whom Mary was betrothed.  According to the practice of the day, a betrothal (engagement) was just as binding as was the wedding itself.  One can only imagine his shock when he was told that the young woman with whom he had entered into a contractual arrangement leading to the formalities of marriage was expecting a child, and not by him.  That was scandal, plain and simple.  He had the right and the cultural presumption to break the contract.  He also knew that if he did, Mary would be cast out of her village and left to fend for herself with no support from her family, the residents of Nazareth, and certainly not from him.  Troubling decisions led to troubled sleep.  Into that turmoil Joseph that even though there could be some socially difficult times ahead, Mary has not betrayed him.  She is in fact bearing the child who will be the long-awaited Messiah.  Joseph’s fear turns into purpose.  He awakes from his dream,  Mary and he formalize their relationship.  Whatever the future held, they were in this together and God was with them.

            John Lennon admits to being a dreamer and asks whether there are others.  I certainly hope so.  Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph opened themselves up to the possibility of hope and promise when they allowed their dream to touch them.  There have been so many dreamers through history who have in their time and place allowed themselves to imagine outside the narrow strictures of what is known.  That sense of wonder is directly related to the power of dreams.  We begin to see the “what if’s” and the “why not’s” and the “yes, I could do that”.  Maybe, just maybe then we can find the will and the way to fulfill our calling to help bring God’s Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Clara