Do you have a dream? Is there something that you ponder passionately? Do you deeply long for something to transform us as God’s people?
The prophet Joel writes:
Then afterward
I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
(Joel 2:28).
Over 2200 years later and 50 years ago this week, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke these words:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
“I have a dream.
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”
Are these dreams that we share? It seems that we do so when we, in our Baptismal Covenant, commit to:
“…seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?”
“…strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?”
As people of faith, we are often called to begin action from the movement of the Spirit in our “dreams.” What is the Spirit calling you to dream about? How will this dream bring about the transformation we are all called to?
It is critical that we make room for the Spirit to stir in us God’s dream of who God is calling us to be.
We must be prepared, though. As said the Prophet Joel, Martin Luther King, Jr. and all those who call us to the movement of the Spirit: call us to dream beyond our wildest imagination.
Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
— Sir Francis Drake