Dr. David D. Young
December 3, 2006
Jeremiah 33: 14-16
Acts: 14-21, Matthew 1: 18-24
"Dream On"
(Vision)

I’m not going to ask how many of you have already started your Christmas cards. But I do want to tell you about a family by the name of Parker who had the following experience actually happen to them. Patricia Parker writes,

"Like most families we exchange Christmas cards with some people who are quite unremembered acquaintances. Once on our list, the names seem to stay. The fact that we were no more remembered than they were was evident the year we sent out cards showing a busy family engaged in holiday activities. Printed on them was: "Greetings from the harried Parkers."

To our surprise, we received in return a number of cards addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Harried Parker."

How many of us this morning feel like Mr. or Mrs. Harried Parker? Both because we are feeling very harried – and also because we are driven to play the superficial seasonal games which over the long haul inevitably end up empty.

In this last weeks’ Meetinghouse Monthly, I shared a poem by Christina Rossi from which our Advent Sermon Series gets it’s name.

"Christmas is eternal like the love that gave it birth – like the love that touches others as it reaches ‘round the earth."

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and so we begin our Sermon Series: "Reaching ‘Round the Earth" as we seek to share in the mystery and meaning of a love that reaches round the earth.

But friends, let’s be honest, as we begin this season of joy, music, laughter and lights – there is a great deal of depression, destruction and darkness in our world. The month of December which is supposed to be an upper as we prepare for an incredible birth – is in reality – for many – a downer.

The daylight keeps getting shorter and shorter – which reflects an inner darkening for many. Whether or not that is how you are feeling this morning, there isn’t a person listening who hasn’t been discouraged, who hasn’t felt depressed, who hasn’t experienced something of the dark night of the soul.

There is a powerful story of a little girl in London after the Second World War whose father was explaining to her that they would no longer have to darken all the windows at night in order to prepare for air raids. She said to her father: "I know we no longer have to keep the light in, but how will we keep the darkness out?"

That is one of the most poignant and profound essential questions a human being ever asks, "How will I keep the darkness out?"

Surely, that must have been how Joseph felt when he discovered that his beloved Mary was pregnant. Now whether you believe in the virgin birth or not let’s just stay with the story as it comes to us in Matthew’s gospel. I mean, if you were in Joseph’s shoes how would you have felt – knowing that you had not slept with your fiancé – and then finding out that she was pregnant.

The first emotion would probably be anger. But beneath that anger might well be a haunting feeling of loneliness – with darkness creeping in all around. Yet, Joseph, being a good and decent man – did not want to embarrass Mary – he obviously still cared for her – so he decided to break things off quietly. And this is precisely where the good news of the gospel jumps in and surprises Joseph – and us too – if we will let it.

What kind of night must it have been when Joseph went to sleep that night? Regardless of how bright the moon and stars were shining – I will tell you that for Joseph – it was a dark, dark night, indeed. And then in verses 21 and 22 – here at the beginning of the entire New Testament we read,

"But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and your are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’"

The dream conveys the good news of this special son to be born and that he will bring salvation. The prophet Jeremiah had a vision of such a time – as Maryan Ainsworth read for us in our first lesson,

"The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’"

The prophet Joel sensed it too – as quoted in our Acts passage,

"God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

The young ones shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams.

Dreams…what are they, anyway? When someone says something that is pretty far-fetched – we often say, "Dream On." What are some of our dreams?

What are our dreams
- for ourselves…
- for our family…
- for our work or social life…
- for wealth and security…?

Can Advent not be a season of dreams?

J. Barrie Shepherd, who retired a few years ago as the Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of New York City, wrote a piece which struggles with our dreams of the season.

I’m Dreaming

of a right Christmas when every item that I buy will be on sale and also the ideal gift for persons who have everything already. I’m dreaming of a bright Christmas when the tree lights work first time and flash their brilliant message of success from every tasteful decorated, artificial, non-allergenic yet natural look-alike limb. I’m dreaming of a lite Christmas when, no matter how much fruitcake, cookies, egg-nog, champagne, other goodies I consume my weight will magically fall to just below the average. I’m dreaming of a write Christmas when all my cards bear personal, intimately joyful greetings and arrange themselves in matching multitudes on every horizontal dust-free surface. I’m dreaming, but I’ll bet that what I get will be the usual trite Christmas, impolite Christmas, damp-with-fog-not-white Christmas, tight Christmas, goodnight Christmas, and bank-will-not-underwrite Christmas. I’m praying that, despite Christmas, I find myself midnight Christmas able to invite Christmas and its newborn child to stay and light a way into my Christmas darkened heart.

What are our dreams for a right Christmas? What are those dreams that move us beyond self-absorbed living?

Before we answer those questions, I want to share a different dream. It’s Mary’s dream and it goes like this:

"I had a dream, Joseph. I don’t understand it, not really, but I think it was about a birthday celebration for our Son. I think that was what it was all about. The people had been preparing for it for about six weeks. They had decorated the house and bought new clothes. They’d gone shopping many times and bought elaborate gifts. It was peculiar, though, because the presents weren’t for our Son. They wrapped them in beautiful paper and tied them with lovely bows and stacked them under a tree. Yes, a tree. Joseph, right in their house.

They’d decorated the tree also. The branches were full of glowing balls and sparkling ornaments. There was a figure on the top of the tree. It looked like an angel might look. Oh, it was beautiful.

Everyone was laughing and happy. They gave the gifts to each other. Joseph, not to our Son. I don’t think they even knew Him. They never mentioned His name. Doesn’t it seem odd for people to go to all that trouble to celebrate someone’s birthday if they don’t know Him. I had the strangest feeling that if our Son had gone to this celebration He would have been intruding.

Everything was so beautiful, Joseph, and everyone so full of cheer, but it made me want to cry. How sad for Jesus – not to be wanted at His own birthday celebration. I’m glad it was only a dream.

How terrible, Joseph, if it had been real."

Dreams have power…what about ours? What about our altruistic dreams?

What about our dreams
- for our church…
- for our community…
- for our world…
- and for ourselves relating to all those things?

And what about God’s dreams?

What about God’s dreams
- for you…
- for me…
- for this church…
- for the world…
- for…?

Dreams…on one level dreaming means giving up control. Whenever we go to sleep we are giving ourselves over to a process we do not control. Dreams and thought patterns, images and visualizations cannot be controlled once we fall asleep.

When Joseph had his dream he gave up control to God’s control. First, he let go when he fell asleep. It probably wasn’t easy tho’ as he tossed and turned – weighing all the possibilities and wondering in his mind if what he was about to do was right. But more importantly, he let go of his control – which was to dismiss Mary and he trusted in the dream.

For in verse 24 we find,

"When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife."

Joseph will take Jesus as his true Son when he gives him his name. It would make it legal and official. And so it was – that Jesus was grafted to the family tree of Joseph as spelled out in the very first verses of Matthew’s gospel where the linage of Jesus is traced all the way back through Joseph’s family.

Cardinal Suenans observed,

"Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true."

Dreams are wonderful gifts – precisely because they touch us at levels we don’t control. That’s the way it is with God’s love, with God’s great gift of love in Jesus Christ – when we are open and receptive as Joseph was – it is that which controls us and not the other way around.

I’m dreaming of a right Christmas!

Dreams have power!

So…Dream On…with God!

Why not dream with God – dreaming God’s dreams – of a world where the only people hungry are those choosing to - due to dieting reasons – but not a single child in a single country anywhere. We wouldn’t want any of our own children going hungry – and neither does God.

Friends, let’s dream God’s dream of no hunger anywhere. And let’s dream of a world where peace comes for all and not just for some. Let’s dream of a world where AIDS is a thing of the past. I’m sure you could add other significant things to the list of God’s dreams.

But ya know, when it all comes down to it – I believe that what God really dreams is that we dream his dreams – rather than desiring him to fulfill our dreams. And if we can dream God’s dreams – why not live them too!

So friend, Dream On!

Amen!