Pentecost (A) + Together-dream! + 6.8.14

M. Campbell-Langdell+

All Santos, Oxnard

                        (Acts 2:1-21; Ps. 104:25-35, 37; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13; St John 20:19-23)

Next to my desk, I have a little piece of art and instruction from the artist Sark. It says “How to be an Artist” and goes on to describe many things: “Stay loose. Learn to watch snails. Plant impossible gardens. Invite someone dangerous to tea. Make little signs that say yes! And post them all over your house. Make friends with freedom and uncertainty. Look forward to dreams.”
And it goes on.
I couldn’t help thinking of it when I saw David Lose’s reflection for these Pentecost readings today. He asks us, the working preachers of the world, why the people are afraid to dream.

Is it because we have learned that dreaming is just for kids? He says.

Lose cites Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner’s book Freakonomics, and their point that “one of the keys to innovation is to be willing to think like a child and relearn how to question assumptions.”[1] Already we see others from our community attending the church.  Are we afraid to dream because it is out of our control? Is it because we might dream something that scares us?
Peter quotes Joel in describing what has happened with this Pentecost occurrence, this amazing uncontrollable happening that has just occurred, the Holy Spirit’s coming among  the people. And somehow he finds some words to describe it. They are from Joel. “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… Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This is what is happening, Peter says, at the birth-day of the church. We are receiving the Spirit. We are dreaming dreams. Young and old, male and female alike are open to the Spirit.

So what are the things that may hold us back? Just last week we had an amazing Celebration of Ministry, an event that filled me with so much JOY. Yesterday we completed preparing several people to be confirmed, baptized, received and reaffirmed in their faith and the church during the month of June. The Spirit is truly here and at work at All Santos. And it is also our work to be open to that Spirit. To listen to the dreams of children and to listen to the dreams of our adults.

Each of us has a gift to share. In First Corinthians we hear it well, we will each have a dream to share. And each of our gifts will be different. And possibly at times our dreams will appear to conflict with one another. But if we are truly open to the spirit, we know that God will guide us. God is working in and through each of our dreams to weave the big dream of the Kingdom, which is the best crazy-quilt ever!  As David Lose puts it, “A plethora of dreams invites a new world of possibilities, but they are mediated by, as Paul says, a commitment to the common good.”[2] We are all in this together with the Spirit, and she will tell us where she wants us to move if we listen well together.

“Finally,” Lose says, “I wonder if we’re just worried that if we dream we might be disappointed.”[3] It’s possible. But this is where we have to remember as Christians that we are not called to perfection, we are called to faithfulness. But we will never get further than we’ve been if we don’t dare to dream. If we don’t dare to be a bit different or think of things in a different and creative, even playful way.

Another truly Pentecost-type vision that comes to mind comes from a movie Alene and I watched some months back. It is called “Like Stars on Earth (Every Child is Special).” And it tells the beautiful story of a young boy with a learning disability and an amazing gift for art. You see him struggling in class with paying attention because he is more focused on the world around him. And then you see him come to a school where there is an art teacher who notices his talent. The art teacher allows the children to dream and to be silly. And the little boy blooms! Towards the end, the school has a school-wide art day and competition, and everyone sits in the big amphitheater at the school painting and drawing and dreaming. It is a wonderful scene, as the serious teachers learn how to make fun with the students and good humor abounds. And the young boy is one of the winners, and you just see how much it means to him, this little boy, to be truly seen for his gifts, what he gives to the world, and not how the world judges him. He is not his supposed defects. God created him to be so much more.[4]

So you might wonder, “Who am I to dream?” But author Marilynne Robinson would have an answer for you! She would say “who are you not to dream?” As she more eloquently puts it, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”[5]

All this talk of dreams seems very freeing, and it is!  But God wants us grounded, too. We can only really dream when we experience the deep Shalom of God. We can’t dream when we are afraid. Notice how afraid the disciples are in the passage from John. They don’t know what to make of this story Mary Magdalene has brought back about seeing Jesus, and they are in shock at losing Jesus, and they can’t stop being afraid. And Jesus comes in, practically spooking them, and saying “peace be with you!”
Jesus knows they have to feel that groundedness, that peace, before they can feel the playful, dynamic flickering tongues of flame of the Holy Spirit dance in their hearts and minds on Pentecost Day.

Theologian Samuel Cruz describes this shalom as “everything good that one can imagine: being without fear of the attack of an enemy, having your piece of land and your little home, having healthy relationships, experiencing prosperity in all areas of life, not just in your finances.”[6] I love this. This is what God calls us to.
This is part of what we live into as a church together. We may not be there yet. We may not have complete Shalom until the kingdom comes. But we are each getting there in our own way, and helping each other to get there. To feel that Shalom each day a little more. So that we can dream each day a little more into what the Spirit would have us do.
How can we dream together about a better world? A better All Santos? A better Oxnard?
Let’s dream together and share with me your visions and dreams about what could be, and what the Spirit might be inviting us into together!

---

[1] David Lose, “Pentecost Dreams,” Wednesday, June 4, 2014 (www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=3249).

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] “Taare Zameen Par” / “Like Stars on Earth”, 2007.

[5] Marilynne Robinson, “A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of ‘A Course in Miracles” http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/928-our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our.

[6] Samuel Cruz, “Comentario del San Juan 20:19-23,” de http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2128.