Advent Weekday – December 18
Jeremiah 23:5-8 / Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19 / Matt. 1:18-25
Dreams and 180 Degree Turns
Who knows what Joseph’s dreams were like before the angel of the Lord appeared to him in one of them? Had he ever acted on what he had seen or heard in a dream before this?
People of all cultures have long revered dreams as bearers of deep meaning. Today there are many who hold dreams to be meaningless gibberish resulting from random firing of neurons. Some hold that they are affected by what we ate before going to bed. Others research what happens in REM sleep and tell us that dreamless sleep fails to be restorative. There are special dictionaries and websites dedicated to explaining the archetypal symbols we encounter in dreams.
Every now and again I have a vivid dream which I am able to remember beyond the first few groggy squints of my day. The ones that stay with me most are the ones in which I can’t seem to find something or someone, and the ones in which I can’t seem to get ready or arrive on time. I have made some efforts to reflect on my dreams and what they might be telling me. But I don’t ever recall having changed my plans because of what I have reflected on.
In Matthew’s Christmas story this dream has a decisive effect on Joseph. The dream brings Joseph’s plans to a screeching halt. He makes a 180 degree turn. Whatever Joseph would have done once Mary and her child were part of his past we do not know. But what he did because of a dream was to become part of a miracle.
· Have you ever experienced a 180 degree turn in your plans? If so, what brought you to this turn about? How does it relate to your relationship with Jesus?
· In what aspect of your life would you like to make a 180 degree change today? What will it take to make that happen?
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