Thrive Commentary: Faithful Dreamers

Acts 2:17-18, Peter quoting the Prophet Joel

¹⁷ ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that 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.

¹⁸ Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.’

Part of the goal of our new, presbytery wide program “Thrive” is to get our congregations and our Presbytery moving in new ways, to follow where the Spirit leads us in these changing days.  I know so many church leaders, pastors, educators, elders and youth workers, who are struggling with the current world we are living in.  The deep divisions, the church’s loss of influence and position in our communities, the environmental changes, and the destruction of civility, all have influenced the church and God’s beloved people. 

Yet there is a new scent in the air, a renewed energy arising and more people are listening for God’s call to move forward into new and amazing work bringing in the Kingdom of God.  We are beginning to dream new dreams.

A Presbyterian pastor who grew up in Missouri Union Presbytery, but is serving a congregation in another presbytery, called me this past Saturday.  They shared with me a dream they had on Friday night.  Apparently, they had dreamed of a beautiful field with a ton of children playing games and having a wonderful time.  As they turned around to see where they were, they spotted a building with a familiar porch.  It was our former presbytery camp, a place of love, joy, celebration, and holy encounters.  Saturday morning, upon awaking and grabbing the phone, they checked on Zillow just to see if any photos of what that property looked like now would be available.  Imagine their surprise when they found the property is currently for sale!

As we spoke, the dream emerged…  First, it was… could we buy back the camp?  Then, perhaps we know someone who could purchase the camp and let us use it.  Then, how do we invite the presbytery into the conversation around how amazing and wonderful church camp is?  And finally, what would it look like to create places like camp that were full of love, joy, celebration, and holy encounters, places or events that transform lives forever like church camp did for so many of us?

It is a new world.  In the Spirit’s leading, we are beginning to dream dreams, to see visions, to prophesy or to share messages from God.  As we listen and discern what those dreams, visions, and messages mean for our congregations and to expand how we respond, a new church will emerge.  A new church that thrives on living out the word of God, following the ways of Jesus, changing the old and harmful systems of injustice, unkindness, and lack of openness, so that we may share the good news of Jesus Christ with our whole lives.

So may you dream dreams, may you see visions, may you speak clearly the message God has for us to share.  May your whole life show that God is good, and may you thrive!  Amen.