Yesterday I was talking with a friend who revealed a big dream that he just had which was quite interesting and, he thought, must have originated from a recent experience. It was also something he remembered from his youth which brought a wonderful feeling of protection and calm to him in a religious way, for in the dream he was in the presence of the divine known through Christ on the cross, and he had a peace from that, knowing or feeling that God would assist him to overcome a great danger and life threat.

The fact that he was able to recall his dream and share it with me is an unusual thing. Most people don't remember or want to remember their dreams. One of the tricks with a dream is that you probably need to record it or speak it immediately to recall it --that helps you to catch it or at least a part of it, for dreams are vaporous and can escape like smoke into the busy waking day if you're not careful. By the way, what you get from the dream is your business, --it might be minor or major material for you to figure out. My interpretation above, from what he expressed, is not his interpretation --it could approximate what he said, but it is his dream, and not mine! 

Here we are peeking into somebody else's dream through a gospel story (which is then almost like looking at two dreams), but this far along now it seems like it's our dream, too. It is as if it's public record. But it's actually something that came to one perplexed person, as the story explains, and something that directed him to act benevolently toward another on behalf of God, like my friend's dream which gave him an unusual assurance of things working out somehow. We know beforehand that Joseph had determined to put Mary away, in other words to divorce her and to be done with her, but in struggling through the night or through a slumber or a day dream, THE dream came to him that explained or announced exactly what he needed to do!  The facts of the situation remained, but with God they could be overcome.

So did Joseph tell the dream to somebody and it was later related to Matthew? --to Mary, who told it to others? How do you imagine this? Or is Matthew just imagining the beginnings of the Lord Christ and setting up something about the birth of our Savior and why it was necessary for him to come at all and then to come through such extraordinary ways? If you look back at the journey of the people of God then you might be able to answer that question with ease. There are many hundreds of years and many hundreds of pages that have something to do with what leads up to this divine birth narrative!

Here's a good question --why is the question of Jesus's legitimacy even raised by Matthew? Perhaps there were some rumors or curious questions about that, as you might expect from snarky 1st century neighbors and acquaintances who could count. Maybe jealousy and the opposing factions generated stories about the birth of the Lord that Matthew needed to overcome? And what about the statements made about Ceasar as the Divine Son --how does that figure in? There is so much that goes right over our heads! 

Above we have another sequence image, but now a drawing of Joseph who is slumbering, dreaming again in his chair, but his hands reveal the anxiety and puzzling aspects of his dilemma. We have entered into the dream once more and knowing, too, what Joseph at the outset thought he needed to do concerning Mary.

The example of Joseph shows us that along this Advent journey it might be important for us to struggle with some very hard questions and persevere to hear the word of the Lord instead of our own self interest and concerns. Maybe there is a path of unusual benevolent action still to be revealed in each of us? I think God hopes so!

 --Pastor Jack