What do you dare to dream, but doubt the wisdom of trying?
What are the wild dreams of your youth? Perhaps you remember with nostalgia the idea of becoming a rock star, or going on pilgrimage to proclaim the Word of God on street corners.
It is said that vertigo is both/and the fear of falling, and the desire to jump.
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Matthew 4: 5-7
Learning discernment is a very appropriate task for lent. Part of discernment is becoming aware of your desires. Without winter, how would we become aware of the joy of the spring which is budding around me as I write this. Fasting reminds us of the joy of eating. What about sensing the hunger for the things which make life worth living though?
This evening our task is to become aware of the desires, ambitions, and (perhaps crazy) dreams that lie dormant within us. Which of them are genuine outpourings of faith, and which of them dare God to prove our vision of reality?
Jesus chose not to jump off the temple, but he did walk on water. He also turned water into copious quantities of wine. How was he able to know which to do, and what can we learn from him? We often think of the story from the perspective of the disciples and our need to be saved. However, we are also called to be imitators of Christ…
If you are able to meet up this evening (Monday the 14th of March) then I look forward to discussing dreams. Even if you are reading this from another time and place, please take the opportunity to use the comments as a place to write them down. Dream in the daytime and in public.
