Sermon for the Day of Pentecost

I imagine that we’ve all had classic anxiety dreams, like the one in which it’s time to take the final exam and you realize that you haven’t been to class all semester and you are completely unprepared? It’s funny how we can still have a version of that dream no matter how many years we’ve been out of school. There are several other common anxiety dreams, ranging from your teeth falling out to being late for something important. I think each profession has its own version, too. Episcopal priests, for example, are prone to dreaming that the service is about to start, the organ prelude has finished, and we’re up here in front of everyone flipping through the prayer book and it’s impossible to find the right page in order to start the service. Always fun to wake up from one of those, especially on a Sunday morning.

Maybe I should’t tell you this, so let’s just keep it between us. The other night, I had my first anxiety dream about the master planning process at Christ Church. In the dream, I had placed a screen up here in the choir area to show power point slides about the project. The church was packed and it was time to start the presentation. I tried everything but couldn’t get the tech to work. So I decided to wing it without the visuals, and was headed to the lectern to start speaking. But as I tried to walk over there, I kept getting interrupted by all kinds of things. It was taking so long that people started to wander out. I woke up and had two thoughts. First, I should never put a screen and a projector in this space. And second, the planning process restart must be gaining some momentum now since it’s deep in my consciousness and soon to be in all of ours, which is a good thing. The dreaming about Christ Church that we will do together in our waking hours will be vitally important for the future ministry and mission of this place.

I mention this about dreams because Pentecost is a day for dreaming in the church. What began as a dramatic event launched the church into dream work. Pentecost as described in the Book of Acts was dramatic. The Spirit arrived as a violent wind and tongues of fire descended on the disciples, animating them to launch the church. They preached in languages they didn’t know, and people heard the news in their own language. Three thousand people were baptized that day. The Spirit arrived and the good news of God in Christ spread out with a new found boldness.

Peter stood up to explain all of this to those watching in wonder. It was his first sermon, and I imagine he had dreams later about not being able to find his place in the prayer book. But for his first proclamation of good news, he turned to the prophet Joel. Joel once said that when the Spirit arrives, sons and daughters shall prophesy, young men will see visions, and old men shall dream dreams. When the Spirit comes, it’s time to dream.

Dreams are not only about our fears and anxieties, though it is important to name those. These days we can feel overwhelmed by them. Dreams are also about prophecy and visions. What shall we prophesy? Prophecy calls out that which is broken, which the Spirit compels us to name. And what visions will we see? Visions are gifts that come to us about how the world could be, in our lives, in our communities, in the world. And what dreams shall we dream? Dreams, well, those are about our deepest longings, and what God longs for, too. Our dreams are part of God’s dream. Prophecy, visions, and dreams, said Joel. Whenever the Spirit arrives, that is the holy work at hand.

And it’s work that we do together, enlivened by the Spirit as God’s people. Let’s dream about the ways in which the Spirit will push us out of these doors, and empower us to take the gospel farther than it has gone before. There are many ways to start. Let’s dream about a world in which gun violence is eliminated and loneliness is overcome. Let’s dream about a world in which poverty is eradicated and all kinds of shackles broken. Let’s dream about a world in which racism is dismantled and our ecosystems are restored to their Garen of Eden glory. Let’s dream about a world in which people hear in their own language the good news that they are included in God’s saving grace. Or, in the words of the prophet Joel, that all who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

That might sound like a pipe dream to some, but it’s the stuff of the prophets and the earliest church. It is our inheritance. And we don’t dream alone. On Pentecost, the Spirit came as our guide, teacher, intercessor, advocate, comforter. The Spirit abides with us still and sends us out out to make our sacred dream a reality.

You’ll hear a lot more about our master plan in the coming months, everything from HVAC units to how to improve our spaces for the ministry to which God calls us. It will be important for us to not get too lost in the mechanical and plumbing issues but to stay close to the dream work of Pentecost. And it will be important for us to call upon the Spirit to guide and empower us, not just as a group in a building but as the Church in the world.

And as a lovely reminder that Pentecost is not only about long range planning but also about more immediate joy, on this Pentecost, we welcome a new dreamer into the church. Camilla is about to be baptized (at the 10:30 service) in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would like to draw our attention to that fact that she will also be sealed by the Holy Spirit. She’ll be a dreamer for life, called with us to help repair the world and take the gospel farther than it’s ever been. As she grows, she’ll learn from us how to do some of that. And there will be things that she teaches us, too. That all begins today as we welcome her and pray over her. May her anxiety dreams be infrequent, and her master plans effective. And with Camilla, may we dream boldly in the name of the Holy Spirit.