12-31-95	Taking Care of the Word	Isaiah 63:7-9

Hebrews 2:10-18

Return to Sermon Index	Matthew 2:13-23

Sleep experts and the like tell us that everyone dreams. We're told that when we go to sleep we go through several different types of sleep stages. And there is one stage of sleep wherein we seem to have the most dreams. It is called REM sleep; and it called that because it is during this type of sleep that we have "rapid eye movement." Evidently, as we dream, our eyes follow the pictures that we see in our dreams.

Sleep experts say that our dreams are simply an evidence our sub-conscious mind working on problems while we are asleep that we have encountered when we were awake. Hence, persons who play a lot of sports will probably dream sports dreams. Or, persons who worry about work will probably dream about their work. Or, if you've been putting a lot of thought into going somewhere nice for a vacation, you will probably dream about that, as well.

We're also told that it really is a necessary and even a healthy thing to dream while we are asleep; that those who cannot dream are more likely to suffer psychological problems, as a result. So, just about everyone dreams, whether they can remember dreaming, or not. Most people don't remember most of the dreams they have. In fact, the dreams we can remember are most likely those dreams we have had just before we wake up in the morning.

Of course, there are at least two types of dreams that we remember having. There are the nice dreams and then there are the nightmares. Just about all of us have experienced nightmares. Little kids probably have them more than older folks. I can remember how when I was a kid I used to get them. I'd dream that I was in a jungle and that a tiger was chasing me. And just as the tiger was about to catch me, I'd scream and wake up in a cold sweat. And my mom would come and she would say, "Don't worry – it was just a dream!"

When you think about it, those words, "Don't worry – it was just a dream," pretty much sum up what most of us think about dreams. We don't give the dreams we have a lot of thought, for the most part, but dismiss them as merely a symptom of an over-active mind.

But then there is Joseph, the father of Jesus, who, in our gospel lesson for this morning, had a dream in which an angel of the Lord appeared to him. And in the dream the angel told Joseph to take the baby Jesus and Mary to escape to Egypt and stay there because Herod was going to search for the child in order to kill him."

Now, that must have been an amazing dream, because Joseph did what most other persons don't usually do! He took the dream seriously! He didn't dismiss the dream as being the product of an over-active mind. Instead, Matthew tells us that Joseph immediately got up from his bed, took the child and Mary during the night, and left for Egypt and stayed there until Herod died several years later. Joseph didn't wait a week before he left, he didn't even wait ten minutes. Rather, the scripture says that he got up from his bed and told Jesus and Mary and left town.

When you think about it, that was pretty remarkable. If anything, it points to the value of being "tuned in" to God, which, no doubt, Joseph truly was. It shows us how important it is for us to be willing to put some faith or trust into something that we might otherwise call "just a dream." It reminds us that the little things that happen in our lives – the dreams, the things we often call "just a coincidence," the little events that we may usually ignore, the occasional flashes of insight that we experience in ourselves or in others, may truly be valuable "nudges" that God gives us as we go through life.

There was another dream that was dreamed one night that was not taken as seriously as it should have been. In the middle of the night of the fourteenth of March, Julius Caesar awoke, one night, disturbed by his wife's nightmare. As she slept he heard her uttering indistinct words and inarticulate groans. When the day dawned, his wife told him how in her dream she had held him bleeding and dying in her arms. She begged him not to leave the house that day, but to reschedule the meeting of the senate, which had been scheduled to meet that day, the Ides of March.

Caesar was impressed by the dream of his wife, and decided not to go to the senate that day. But, those who wanted to kill Caesar hired one of his closest friends to persuade him to go to the meeting. The friend asked Caesar what his enemies would say if he sent a messenger to the senate telling them to adjourn for the day and meet again when Caesar's wife should have a better dream. Julius Caesar then changed his mind and set out for the senate. On his way through the street another friend who knew of the conspiracy thrust a note into Caesar's hand warning him of the plot to kill him. He even told Caesar, "read this, Caesar, alone and quickly, for it contains a matter of great importance that concerns you." But, Caesar thought that the note was just a petition and, without reading it, put it among his other papers. Not only had Julius Caesar discounted the message of his wife's dream, but he had ignored the life- saving message of a friend! And, so, Julius Caesar met his fate in the Roman senate on the Ides of March.

As we begin a new year, shouldn't we also be taking our dreams seriously? For our dreams give us direction and movement in our life. I was talking with a young person the other day. This person was amazed at how many friends had changed so quickly since they had left high school. Some had dreamed wonderful dreams of the future but had quickly set aside those dreams and even forgotten they had them. The lure of alcohol and drugs had out- shadowed some of those dreams. Sex and a desire for constant pleasure had eclipsed the dreams of others. Only a few were still really pursuing the dreams and goals they had just a few months ago.

So, it made me think. We all have dreams. But, do we take them seriously? As we live our lives, as we travel down God's road, do we keep our eyes on the goal? Or, do other things come along that blind us from seeing those dreams or serve as obstacles that side-track us on the journey we call life?

God has a plan for each of us, no matter where we may be on that journey. We may be well on our way towards the goals God wants us to achieve. Or, we may find that we have been side-tracked. Either way, God still has a plan for us. And as we live our lives, God gives us guidance and direction. But it is up to us to be open to the means by which God gives it to us. We need to learn how to be sensitive to the voice of our Lord, to pay attention. And then, once the word has been given, we need to have faith that this truly is the word of the Lord and live our lives as though we were taking care of the word, of God's plan for us.

Joseph's sensitivity and faith at hearing God's voice in his dreams helped him to care for and protect the baby Jesus, who was, in fact, God's Word, God's plan, for this world. Our sensitivity at hearing God's voice and responding faithfully is no less as dramatic as was the story of Joseph in our gospel lesson for today. When we put our faith in the dreams and keep our eyes on the goals God has for us, we, like Joseph, take care of a precious gift from God. And at the close of this year, just before we begin a new year, we would do well to ask, "Just what message, what dream, what goal, what word is God giving to us to watch over, to nurture, and to care for?"

Our dreams, if we take them seriously, help us to persevere in our journey through life. If we keep our goals before us, how much more likely are we to succeed! I am reminded of this little poem:

Two frogs fell into a can of cream,

Or so I've heard it told;

The sides of the can were shiny and steep,

The cream was deep and cold.

"O, what's the use?" croaked Number 1,

'Tis fate; no help's around.

Goodbye, my friends! Goodbye, sad world!"

And weeping still, he drowned.

But Number 2, of sterner stuff,

Dog-paddled in surprise,

The while he wiped his creamy face

and dried his creamy eyes.

"I'll swim awhile, at least," he croaked –

Or so I've heard it said –

"It really wouldn't help the world

If one more frog were dead!"

An hour or two he kicked and swam,

Not once he stopped to mutter,

But kicked and kicked and swam and kicked,

Then hopped out, via butter!

Amen.