You Shall Have Visions and Dreams!

Readings are here for Pentecost 2019

The crowds gathered in Jerusalem were there for the celebration of Shavuot. 

Shavuot originated as a harvest festival but, by the time of Jesus, it had also come to be the occasion which marked and celebrated God’s gift of the 5 books of the Torah to the Jewish people. As such, Shavuot celebrated the stories and practices that detailed and dictated the relationship between God and God’s chosen people. 

Shavuot was celebrated 50 days after the second evening of Passover—which is how it became known as Pentecost amongst the Greek speaking Jews and Gentiles of the 1st century.

These are the same Greek speaking Jews and Gentiles who would have been the audience of the book of Acts, a book which details the birth of the Church and the gradual separation of the Church from its Jewish origins and traditions. 

Which is how, Shavuot, “the birthday of the Torah” became Pentecost, “the birthday of the Church”. 

Pentecost, the day upon which Christian’s celebrate God’s gift of the Spirit. Pentecost, the day when the prophet’s words were fulfilled. Pentecost. 

This is the day when the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, arrived in fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that we would not be left comfortless. This is the day,when we celebrate Jesus’ abiding presence through the Spirit. 

This is the day, when we recognize that Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension were only the beginning of the story that has become ourstory. 

Which takes me back to a letter I wrote, in May of 2014, to all of you, 

“Dear Friends, as we approach the celebration of Pentecost and Godʼs gift of the Spirit into the world, I find myself reflecting on the truth that Christʼs death is not the end of the story. Nor, is the resurrection the end of the story. 

What we do in light of the resurrection is the continuation of the story.”

The story isn’t over yet and we have been writ into the pages—writ by virtue of the ongoing, and perpetual presence of the Spirit. 

And, so this day of Pentecost is a day that begs the question, “what do we do now?”

How will we continue the story? How will we live in response to God’s love?

As I consider these questions, I find myself considering the words from the prophet Joel, the words that Peter proclaims to the astonished crowd, 

`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.

Your children will prophesy, 

Consider Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old whose tenaciousness is akin to that of the biblical prophets. A tenaciousness that she needs in order to stand fast in her commitment to bring the world’s attention to the climate crisis at hand, 

“It is still not too late to act. It will take a far-reaching vision, it will take courage, it will take fierce, fierce determination to act now, to lay the foundations where we may not know all the details about how to shape the ceiling. In other words, it will take cathedral thinking. I ask you to please wake up and make the changes required possible”

“Your young men shall see visions”, 

Consider, Parkland Shooting Survivor, David Hogg. David who, at the ageof 18, envisions the possibility that real change is possible if we come together in unity,  

“Now, they will try to separate us in demographics. They will try to separate us by religion, race, congressional district and class. They will fail. We will come together. We will get rid of these public servants that only serve the gun lobby, and we will save lives.” (March for Our Lives Speech, 2018)

Then, of course, “Your old men shall dream dreams”, 

Consider the invitation of the Reverend Dr. William Barber II

“The Spirit brings the gift of dreaming into the now. What God has hoped, becomes, even if at first just in our thoughts, a new reality. We begin to see and dream in the now what God has always wanted since the beginning. God’s Dreams becomes our desire when the Spirit is at work.

Men may never understand, but this is what happened deep in the soul place of Fredrick, Harriett, Garrison, Sojourner, Mary Mcloud, Dorothy, Rabbi Heschel, Martin, Medgar, Malcolm, Ella, Viola, Fannie Lou, Tutu and Mandela. What moved them and so many others? God’s Dreams! By the Spirit come take a look.” (https://www.facebook.com/RevDrBarber/posts/what-is-life-is-it-to-be-lived-for-or-dreamed-about-perhaps-bothmaybe-our-dreami/1040926226027250/ )

Our children will prophesy.

Our young will see visions.

Our elders, they will dream!

Warning us. 

Inspiring us. 

Challenging us. 

And, inviting us…

To dream of what God has wanted from the beginning.

And to bring into being what God intends. 

So, old and young, child and elder—

What is your dream? What is the Word you wish to bring into being in this world?

Think about it, seriously…think on this for a moment.

PAUSE. 

In your pews, you will find blank tags and pencils—take a moment to write down your dream, your prophesy, your vision. Place them in the offering plates when they come around. We will display your dreams throughout the season after the Pentecost as a reminder of our purpose and our calling to fulfill the dream that God has for this world. 

Amen.