Today at Bible Study we talked about how fears can corrode our dreams, both our individual and collective dreams. We discussed that what Jesus’ proclaimed as God’s kingdom is nothing more than the dream of God for all of humankind. Ever notice how easy it is to puncture a dream? How much easier still is it to rupture the lofty dreams that seem practically impossible?
You already know my dream that God’s transforming love in Christ might indwell our beloved First Congregational, Darien not only to renew our common life but to take us to new heights. You already know my dream that everyone on earth might have a simple decent home befitting human decency and dignity. In two hours, I will speak at the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich about my dream that all suffering from alcohol or drug addiction might gain relief and regain their future. It is a dream that grows deeper within me, what with all my eldest daughter has faced.
In each case, these dreams define my life because I hold they are really God’s dreams for us all. But it’s remarkable how easily detractors can lampoon dreams belittling the future of churches like ours, insisting that the poor will always live in squalor, and that addicts must fall victim to their demons. They need only inject some common sense, some practicality, some conventional wisdom. “Don’t you know that things have always been this way, and must always remain so!?” Some people say these things because they are safe to say and are very afraid to risk otherwise.
No, is our answer. We really don’t believe that. And watch us demonstrate otherwise, is the classic Christian posture and response. Think of how many times people of faith have defied expectations by delivering new hope, relief, and recovery, rather than cave in to the status quo.
Say a prayer for me tonight at Liberation Programs gala in Greenwich to raise funds to fight addiction as I allow myself to get vulnerable before many I do not know, many of whom know much more about addiction than I do. Being a follower of Jesus Christ, in many respects, is the willingness to dream impossible dreams, to sing out the signature tune from Man of La Mancha.
No less than 60 of you from First Congregational will be with me tonight. That emboldens me to dream God’s impossible dreams. Thank you for supporting me, for believing in impossibly good things, and thank you most of all for your faith in God, which is the source of every good dream.