“Dreaming…”

Acts 2:1-21

Sanbornton Congregational Church, UCC

May 27, 2007

(Please do not re-print or re-use without permission of the author) 

Ah….it’s Memorial Day weekend….the beginning of summer.  We dream, of lazy days by the lake or the ocean.  Hikes in the woods.  Family reunions.  More free time, to relax, to read a good book, listen to the Red Sox…and, one of my favorite things….simply drift off into a nap, allowing the book to fall open on the lap and drift between dreams and wakefulness….

I love dreams.  I love remembering them and writing them down.  Our dreams are a rich source of our knowing, the font of our wisdom; an early warning indicator if we’re going down a path that may not truly be in line with our soul’s desire or a flash of insight on what is going on in our lives during our wakeful hours.

I remember when I was in the process of searching for a church.  I had an extensive round of interviews for an associate pastor position.  It was attractive in many ways and I’d had a wonderful interview with the search committee.   There were some red flags that I was tempted to ignore.  A dream put the whole situation in vivid color.  Through various images in the dreams I realized how difficult the dynamics would be at the church.  The dream clarified what I had perceived in the interview process.  I withdrew my name from the search the next day.

Dreams are gifts from the Spirit.  And as we celebrate this Pentecost Sunday, when we remember how the Holy Spirit touched the hearts of the first disciples, we also remember that the Holy Spirit is itself a gift from God.  The Spirit’s visible and powerful presence among that gathered body of Jews in Jerusalem was the fulfillment of a promise made by Jesus.  The Spirit’s presence among them that day – allowed people from differing cultures and languages to hear and understand each other with perfect clarity.  We celebrate it as the birth day of the church.  The Spirit infused those gathered with the confidence and knowledge that with God anything is possible.

Last week our children brought the church’s first birthday party vividly alive – with their words and flames…..

It’s a wonderful image – the Church as one big birthday party.  Ann Weems, who writes creatively about the spiritual life was captivated by this image to write a short story called “The Birthday Party.” 

She describes it as a church that had only “party rooms:”  “the Music Party Room, the Feasting Party Room, the Do Justice Party Room, the Love Mercy Party Room, the Touch Lepers Party Room.  In the center of the building was a large round room with an altar and a cross:  God’s Party Room.”

It was a church she said, “with an air of festivity and brightness that could not be denied.”  (from Reaching for Rainbows, p. 41)

It kind of reminds me of our church last Sunday when our children led worship, and created their own special birthday cake in honor of Pentecost.

As we think about our church – I wonder – what are some of the images that captivate our imagination?  This morning, I’d like to invite us to do some dreaming together about the future of our church and what we would love for it to become.

It’s important – because as we consider the question of whether to build a building addition – we need to be clear – what is it for?  What is the dream we hope the building will help us to fulfill?  The building isn’t the dream – it’s the ministry that would be enabled by it that is the dream.

So, today I want us to really dream big, allow our imaginations to flow…allowing the Holy Spirit to loosen us up, touch our hearts and see what images come to mind about the kind of images that excite us for what our life together in ministry is all about.

Ann Weem’s image of the Church as a continuous, joyful, welcoming (even raucous) birthday party is one such example.

The Bible is full of other such images that may capture the essence of our dreaming.

Other images:

The Banquet Table –  as when the father threw an extravagant feast for his long- lost son.

Perhaps our church could extend its ministry of providing meals to Seniors – to perhaps every week, or to needy families in our community?

The Wedding Reception – When Jesus performed his first miracle – and there was plenty of the good wine available for all.  What is the “Good stuff” we would like to share and extend beyond our doors?

The Neighborhood Center (I think of the Bicycle repair shop in poor neighborhood in Houston)

The Spiritual Growth Center

What are some images that come to mind for you?  

And if it’s true, as we sang last week, “I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together,”  then we also need to ask – what is it that we dream for our lives as individuals?  Because what we dream about – also gets reflected here when we gather together.

We need dreams to help us to break loose of images that may have been projected onto us.  How many of us have pursued in our lives, dreams that were not our own but the dreams of our parents – to go to certain college or choose a certain career?

Without realizing it, we can become imprisoned by these images and expectations.  We can stay frozen in an image of ourselves – and allow it to limit what it is we try or do.

The Holy Spirit helps us to dream.  When we tap into the power of the Holy Spirit, we realize how it frees us up, empowers us, sets our hearts on fire with possibility.  That’s what inspiration is all about….

So now that we’re entering the summer season.  Let’s make time to do some dreaming…inviting the Dreamweaver and Dreammaker and the Holy Spirit to set before us a vision for our lives that inspires us to creative and joy-filled action.    Amen.