Dreamer

MATTHEW 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother  Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was  found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a  righteous man and unwilling to expose Mary to public disgrace, planned to  divorce her quietly. 

20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to  him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take  Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy  Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will  save his people from their sins.” 

22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the  prophet: 23 “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son,  and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” 

24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded  him; he took her as his wife 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had  given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus. 

HOMILY: Matthew tells the Christmas story in a quieter way than Luke. There are  no angels filling the sky, no shepherds rushing from the fields, no songs of glory  echoing in the night. Instead, Matthew draws us into a deeply human drama…a  drama beginning with confusion and fear, but ending with obedience to God.  

At the center of it all stands a man who listens to God’s messenger while he  sleeps. A man called Joseph. 

Joseph is a righteous man. He loves Mary. He also knows the law. And the law  tells him that Mary’s pregnancy is a problem which he did not create and a reality  which he cannot explain. So, according to Matthew, Joseph plans to dismiss  Mary quietly. It is an act of mercy mixed with heartbreak.  

It is in this space between obedience to the law and compassion for Mary, that  God speaks to Joseph. God does not speak with a thunderous voice from  heaven. He does not speak in the rumble of a mighty earthquake. He does not  speak in the roar of a flaming fire. Instead he speaks at night while Joseph  sleeps.  

Joseph’s dream places him in a long biblical tradition. Again and again, God  chooses dreams as a means of revelation.  

Jacob dreams of a ladder set between heaven and earth. He awakes to say,  “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not”. Jacob’s son, Joseph also  dreams; dreams that shape not only his own future but the survival of his family.  Daniel interprets dreams for kings, unveiling God’s purposes for nations. The  Magi are warned in a dream not to return to Herod. And later Pilate’s wife will be  troubled by a dream because of Jesus.  

Dreams, in Scripture, are many and very significant. They are weighty, disruptive,  and clarifying. And in Joseph’s case, his dream called for sacrifice and  immediate obedience.  This raises an important question. If God used dreams so frequently in Scripture,  might God still choose this means of communication today? 

Scripture never suggests that God has abandoned this way of speaking. To be  sure many dreams come from anxiety and the busyness of life; so says the  wisdom writer in Ecclesiastes, chapter 5.  

So we need to be discerning of dreams which we think have spiritual meaning.  We need to test them against the pattern revealed in Scripture. 

But by no means should we dismiss dreams in which God may be speaking to  us, like he did in the case of Joseph and in the many other cases recorded in  Holy Scripture.  

So what distinguishes dreams from above, from incidental dreams? If we look at  Joseph’s dream…and the pattern across Scripture, we notice something striking.  Dreams from God rarely flatter the dreamer. They do not inflate the ego. They  do not promise an easy path.   Instead, dreams from heaven clarify God’s purpose and often demand costly faithfulness on the part of the dreamer. 

For example: Joseph’s dream does not explain to him everything that is going on  with regard to the pregnancy of his espoused wife, Mary. The dream does not  take away the possible distain or social awkwardness that may ensue should  Joseph continue with his plan to wed Mary.  

What the dream does is this: it tells Joseph what God is doing and what Joseph must do in response.  

Notice the content of Joseph’s dream: 

First, it is Christ-centered. “The child conceived in Mary is from the Holy Spirit”.  That is very important. Dreams from God point beyond ourselves to God’s  redemptive work.  

Second: The dream addresses fear. The angel in the dream says to Joseph, “Do  not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” That is also an important part of  dreams from heaven. God often speaks directly to the fear that has taken up  space in the dreamer’s life.  

Third: The dream calls for obedience. And this is of primary importance. Joseph  is told to take Mary as his wife. He is told to name the child Jesus. By naming this child as God commanded him, Joseph accepts responsibility for the child. My  naming Jesus, Joseph becomes his guardian. Though Joseph is not the  biological father, he will embrace Jesus and claim him as his very own child.  

Fourth: The dream reveals God’s saving purpose. “He will save his people  from their sins.” The dream incorporates Joseph’s personal crisis into the  larger story of God’s salvation. And isn’t that what happens in our own journeys.  God wastes nothing; not even the hard times in our lives. He incorporates them  into his broad sweeping plan. 

When God speaks to us through dreams, we should reasonably expect similar  themes: not self glorification, but alignment with God’s purposes. And not  escape from difficulty, but courage that enables obedience to Almighty God.  

Regarding our spiritual dreams, we should follow the example of Joseph in  another very

important way. Joseph doesn’t speak a word in this Gospel. His faith  is shown entirely through

action. He does what the angel commands. He takes  Mary as his wife. He names the child,

Jesus. He stays with God’s plan without  further a due.  

Sometimes the most faithful response to God’s communication whether through  Scripture, or

through conscience, or community, or even through dreams, is not  eloquent speech but steady

obedience.  

Christmas reminds us that God is still speaking. Not always loudly. Not always on  our preferred schedule. Sometimes God speaks when we have exhausted our  own plans, when our defenses are down, or when we, like Joseph…. are  willing…….to listen.  

The question is not really “does God still speak? We know He does. The  critical question is: “Are we listening for His voice?” 

May this Christmas find us attentive—awake even in the night—listen listen, God  still comes to us. God still calls us by name. And God still invites us to trust him and to obey the messages he still gives to you and me. To God be the glory  forever and forever. Amen.