Scripture readings: Psalm 126 and Romans 8:22-27
To carry a dream
Is to walk at night,
Or to walk by light,
But with a pebble in your shoe.
To carry a dream is to
Wake at night
To wake and blink twice,
In case you see something new.
To carry a dream
Is to plant trees in old age,
To be a part of a church,
That is human and frayed.
To carry a dream is foolish and wild
It’s the faith of a child,
Wishing on stars.
But to carry a dream is also hopeful and wise
The faith of our elders,
Saying God will provide.
So may we walk
Until we see the light.
May the pebble in our shoe
Remind us why we fight.
May they say
We are foolish and unwise,
And may we continue to dream;
May hope keep us alive.
"To Carry a Dream" by Sarah Are
From A Sanctified Art
This poem by Sarah Are was inspired by Psalm 126 that we read today. The Psalm is believed to have been written after the people of Judah returned home from captivity and exile in Babylon. It was a time of great celebration and relief for those who had long dreamed of that day. The people laughed and sang together and rejoiced that God had set them free. But what followed was a very difficult period for Judah, as they worked to rebuild the temple and their nation, and had to figure out who they were in a post exile world. The Psalmist mostly likely wrote this during that time, when the initial joy had faded and people realized how much work there still was to do. “Now set our captive hearts free” the Psalmist prays. Physically they were free from their captors, but their work had only just begun.
I spent a long time last night staring at an empty page, wondering what on earth I was going to say today. The sermon I had planned originally went out the window after yesterday’s election news. But I realized that the Spirit must have been moving earlier this week when I picked today’s scripture readings, because they still fit perfectly for today. Since yesterday my newsfeed has been full of people celebrating. Many of my friends belong to minority communities that have suffered these past four years. Many of us feared what would happen if the election had turned out differently. Many of us still fear what these next two months will bring. And though some are quick to say now we can relax, the fight is over, the reality is that are work is far from over. For families separated from their children on the border, for people of color being killed by police, for women having their bodily autonomy taken away from them, for LGBTQ people who can still legally be discriminated against in many places, for people dying of covid, for people going bankrupt or dying from lack of access to healthcare, for so many people, the work of justice is far from over. We may celebrate a small step, but we still have many more steps to take.
But that does not mean we should give up hope. Our God is a God who dares us to dream. We are called to dream of a better world, a more just world, a world that looks more like God’s kin-dom, where everyone is cared for and valued and loved, where hate and bigotry are no more, where suffering has ended, a world of true peace for everyone. That is a radical dream in a world that is full of so much pain and violence and injustice. But that is the dream we dare to dream, it’s what we pray for every time we say the words of the Lord’s prayer: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” God isn’t just concerned with getting us to heaven. God wants us to end the suffering of this world now. Some days it may seem impossible, but we must continue to carry that dream, we must continue to hope in that which we can’t see yet.
This week, through all the ups and downs, I often found myself at a loss for words, and I still do to some extent, but I find comfort in Paul’s words from Romans 8:26-27: “The Spirit, too, comes to help us in our weakness. For we don’t know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit expresses our plea with groanings too deep for words. And God, who knows everything in our hearts, knows perfectly well what the Spirit is saying, because her intercessions for God’s holy people are made according to the mind of God.” I spent a lot of time this week unable to find the right words to pray. Even now, as we prepare to take the next step, as we prepare for the work that still has to be done, I find myself overwhelmed at the enormity of the world’s problems. I find myself wondering where do we start, what even is the next step, how do we even begin to fix things? What am I supposed to pray for? And yet, we can rest in the assurance that even in that uncertainty, even when we feel overwhelmed, the Spirit knows our hearts. She is there guiding us through this work we are called to do, guiding us towards that dream, even if we can’t see where we’re going.
Today I look around at all the people who share this dream of a better world, a world that is more just and full of peace and prosperity for everyone. Some of those people share our faith, but many don’t. And seeing all those people of many faiths who are committed to keep trying to create that world, it gives me hope today. It gives me hope that it really is possible. The world is crying out, creation is groaning under the pain of injustice. It has been for all of history. But there are so many who dare to dream of a better world, and God is with us, working through us to make it happen. So dare to dream with me. Even if we’re not sure what the next step is, we’ll take it together.