Dreams.

We all have them. Most of the time we instantly forget them, and I can assure you that I have never had a dream with an angel or anyone for that matter telling me to flee in the middle of the night in order to save my family.

I can think of a time or two – such as the time when I stepped up onto a curve downtown on a very sloppy, slippery day a little too quickly and ended up fracturing my ankle in three places – where a guardian angel telling me “beware”, “slow down” would have been ever so helpful.

But as we are all too aware that is not how things play out in our lives. We live by our faith, our choices, and our instincts. The decisions we make, often made with a sense of God’s guidance are still very much our own.

After the birth of Jesus Joseph has three distinct dreams – all warnings of impending doom if he does not heed them.

Now Joseph is no stranger to dreams of urgency. When he first learned of Mary’s pregnancy he would have spurned her out of fear of public reprisal had not an angel appeared in a dream bidding him to not be afraid to remain her husband and father of the unborn child.

In Matthew’s text all of the dreams take place at night while Joseph is in a deep sleep. In the first dream, the attending angel tells Joseph to rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt – not in the morning – now! He must then remain there until given instructions from this very angel.

Joseph, a good father and husband, wastes no time and good thing too as Herod is out for blood, wanting to destroy the infant Jesus, Son of God, King of the Jews.

While Joseph and his family are hiding out in Egypt, Herod exacts his revenge ordering the death of all male children in Bethlehem and the surrounding region two years old or younger.

The family remains in Egypt until the death of Herod – the specific length of time is not recounted – and Joseph learns of Herod’s death in another dream. Sure enough the angel has returned to tell Joseph to rise and take his son and wife back to Israel “for those who sought the child’s life are dead”.

The family returns directly to Israel, but when he hears that Herod’s son is now reigning over Judea, Joseph is afraid and warned in yet another dream to withdraw to Galilee. The family does so and settles in Nazareth.

All powerful, life affirming, history making decisions – powered through dreams.

Jesus’ life is spared but not without tragic circumstances. One sadly reflects that the parents of the slaughtered children were not granted the same dreams as Joseph. Why did so many innocent children have to lose their lives in order to save the life of one? Unfortunately, no miracles ensued when Herod evoked his tyranny on his people. No miracles, but indeed a prophecy spoken by Jeremiah was fulfilled:
“A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.”
The text reminds us of the slaughter of male Hebrew infants in Egypt during the time of the Pharaoh where an evil leader destroyed the innocent while saving one special child – Moses.

This is the very difficult aspect of this passage – the sacrifice of many innocents for one.
There is no comfort for the grieving. Christianity acknowledges that there are some griefs in life that cannot be made right.

Even in the midst of a great deal of suffering and tragic loss –chronicled daily in political upheaval, warfare, acts of violence and natural disasters – God is present, healing our pain. God remains a steadfast symbol of good; of hope for a better world.

Jesus escaped the suffering of the innocent babies, but it does not ensure him of a problem free life. One might say Jesus is the ultimate innocent, righteous one. He is not able to escape his own brutal suffering on the cross, with God’s love behind him, for the rescue of his people. Jesus is claiming his kingdom through his suffering.

Survivor’s guilt and remorse is often painful and difficult to live with, but if we are honest and reflective enough we can come to see that it is something we all share. We reap the fruit of Jesus’ life and death, resurrection and ascension.

The power of dreams. It could be said Joseph’s dreams changed the course of world history.

There are those in history who had dreams of finding a better tomorrow for mankind.
I immediately think of Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream – embodied in one of the most powerful speeches ever known. His “dream” emphasizes harmony between the races in the United States and beyond.

Delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, the speech was one of the most famous moments of the Civil Rights movement.

Here is one of the most uplifting passages from his speech:

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain laid low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together”.

Though what he envisioned in this powerful dream has not fully come to pass, our world is truly a richer place thanks to King sharing his dream with us all.

Amen