December 17, 2006
Rev. Terry D. Campbell

Dreamin’ of a White Christmas
Matthew 1:18-25; 2:19-23

“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
²⁰But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’
²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³’The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us.’
²⁴When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt ²⁰and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.’
²¹So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, ²³and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’”

A “White Christmas . . .” Ever lived through one? The songs and the pictures in our heads conjure up a Christmas scene that is so breathtakingly beautiful and so amazingly peaceful!

Whether or not you’ve actually experienced a “White Christmas,” you know the dreamlike quality that picture produces for us. The dream makes us think of perfection and cleanliness of soft, subtle lighting and moonbeams reflecting on white nights. The dream of a white Christmas makes us think of warmth around the fireplace with loved ones close by. We dream of peace, joy and love.

Have you been dreamin’ of a white Christmas? Have you been dreaming of other things? Things like a warm home with loved ones around, a vocation at keeps you growing and stretching, or traveling to far corners of the world. What I want to ask you today is, “What are your dreams? What dreams has God born in you? Are your dreams coming true?

In the Scripture today, Joseph heard God through dreams. Joseph fell asleep and God spoke to him through the voice of an angel. The first of Joseph’s recorded dreams was about this mess with his fiancée, Mary. Sweet little Mary turned up pregnant, and Joseph, honorable man that he was, knew she couldn’t be pregnant by hem. So he decided to quietly divorce her (in those days, an engagement was a legally binding agreement, and need to be legally ended). Joseph didn’t want to make a big scene, ruin Mary’s reputation more, and risk getting her stoned—because they stoned adulterous women in those days. He would just quietly divorce her and let her hide away with relatives until it was all over.

God had other plans. God knew more than Joseph. God spoke to Joseph in a dream, calmed his fears and his distrust of Mary, and said she really had conceived this baby by the Holy Spirit. God named the child for Joseph and told him why this child would be born: “For he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21b) The messenger even told this bewildered man about the prophesy from ages past that foretells of this special birth.

In other words, God gave Joseph a big dream, and an amazing task for his life work: Raise God’s Son to the best of your ability. Care for God’s Son and Joseph’s Savior.

God gives us all dreams. They rise up within us from a place we can’t even name. We can tell each other what our dreams are, but we can hardly talk about from where they come. It’s like breathing: Breathing comes to us so naturally that it is sometimes difficult to explain. Dreams are like that. They are stuff of the Eternal DNA, the eternal plan, the kingdom of God on earth. God planted these dreams in us before we were even born. And so we begin life with a reason and a purpose.

Sometimes we can’t see the dream clearly till later in life. But if we listen well and take time to search, the dream is just below the surface of our everyday living, and not really difficult to find. It’s there just waiting to be easily discovered.

Many know our dreams from day one. Our dreams may not something we can explain, but they are just something we know. When asked about our dream, we can tell it without even a moment’s hesitation. It’s not always a nighttime thing, but it is a definite part of our lives.

For some, God stretches the dream to greater heights than we could even begin to fathom or imagine. That’s what God did for Joseph. Maybe Joseph always had a sense that God was going to do something amazing in his life. Maybe Joseph always remained humbled by the great love God had for him. Maybe he knew there was something about his life, but he just didn’t know what that something was. But Joseph was totally taken off guard when the angel told him God’s dream for his life. Astonished doesn’t begin to describe the depth of feelings within Joseph’s heart. He was awestruck by the impact of this dream.
As a result of his dreaming, Joseph took his young wife, Mary, to Bethlehem to sign on the dotted line the existence of their family. In doing so, they also signed up for the dream of raising the Savior of the world.

After the birth of Jesus, Joseph was sent another message in a dream. This time the angel spoke a word of warning and told Joseph to take his wife and child to Egypt so they could escape from King Herod, who would try to kill Jesus. King Herod was notorious for the terror of his rule, and when he found out Jesus had escaped, he retaliated by having all the little boys around Bethlehem, two year of age or younger, killed. Joseph raises his son in a foreign country and wonders how God is going to accomplish this plan.

Enter dream three. King Herod died and the angel instructs Joseph to the his son and wife to Galilee where they live in Nazareth, which is like raising your family in a safe, small town in Indiana. It was a good place to raise a child. In Nazareth, Joseph’s job of raise God’s Son is completed.

I wonder, “What are your dreams? Are they coming true?” When you are alone on a cold and beautiful winter night, when the stillness of the universe touches your soul in a moment of reflection, when you think of Christmas and this season of love, just what are the dreams growing in you?

I’ve asked something be played for you as you reflect on this question. Take a minute or two to think through the answer to my questions, “What are your dreams?” and “Are they coming true?” Take the 3x5 note card in your bulletin and record your answer. The note card is just for you to keep, so don’t worry about having to share it with anyone. Be honest. Don’t be afraid to state a dream that is bigger than you are. Just take a minute and write it down for yourself.

Have the band play “White Christmas” quietly throughout this reflective time.

What will you do now?

As you think about your dream, hear these words:

1. Search for God’s dream for your life. Maybe you know your dream, but do you know God’s dream for you? Ask God, “God, what are your plans for me?” Perhaps God has a bigger dream than you can imagine.
2. Believe in your dream.
3. Know that dreams that are bigger than your scope of abilities are God’s to fulfill. Don’t worry when God asks you to do something that is beyond you. God is the one who will bring it to pass.
4. Give God the honor and glory when your dreams come true.

God entered the world through the birth of Jesus because God wanted to dream a different dream for us. God didn’t want babies to be killed because of a king’s jealousy. God didn’t want poverty and terror to be the force of our news. Jesus came to bring us Good News that changed society. In order for that Good News to come, we have to be willing to do our part by allowing the dream God gave us to come to pass. We have to be willing to let the kingdom of God on earth happen in our lives. We have to step into God’s dream with our lives and our hearts. Then we will know the fullness of God’s love, and the miracle of a dream come true. Amen.