Yes, when we sleep, we have dreams. And these help to keep our psyche healthy. And then there are our daytime dreams. Maybe dreams of one day owning a home. Or going to Paris. Or having children. Whether we realize it or not, our lives may be infused with dreams. Even dream-driven!
Maybe there are even grander dreams like a world with no more war. No more mass shootings. A healthy natural environment. Human rights for each and every person. Equality. In so many ways. A more just economic system. No more oppression or abuse especially from the government. Maybe dreams like these are harbored in your consciousness. But, then they are just dreams, aren’t they?
The Bible has numerous stories about impactful dreams that influenced the trajectory of people lives. Joseph and his dreams. Jacob at the Jabbok River. Joseph, the father of Jesus. We are given the impression that God is often speaking to us through our dreams. Are we listening?
Samantha Harvey tells us about the dreams of a Russian cosmonaut on the space ship in her novel, Orbital. In the story, there is another space expedition headed for the moon. An American endeavor. And this haunts the dreams of the cosmonaut Anton.
“A fortnight or so ago, Anton had a dream about the imminent moon landing. In fact he had two dreams in two consecutive nights, both very similar. . . It isn’t that, being a cosmonaut, he normally dreams of the moon or space — on the contrary, being a cosmonaut he normally has very practical dreams about how to use a wrench to get himself out of the small window of a room on fire. Training dreams. But lately his nights are flooded with images, his dreams odd and wistful as if they are not really his but someone else’s. And now this repeated one, no doubt because of those astronauts who left Cape Canaveral yesterday. He dreamed — of all things, of all damned American things — of the infamous image taken by Michael Collins during the first successful moon mission, back in 1969. . .
“No Russian mind should be steeped in these thoughts. There is no talk of it on their side and the silence is wholly begrudging — the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth Americans to soon land on the moon’s hallowed dusted crust, and yet still not a single Russian boot. Not one. Not a single Russian flag. No Russian brain should be dreaming about it, not this moon landing and not the first or the second or the third or fourth or the fifth or the sixth, but how do you stop your dreams?” [pp. 62-63]
Yes, how do you stop your dreams? How do we stop our dreams of a new world? A world of justice. Of peace. Of a clean, safe, thriving environment? Of a world where there is no abuse – physical or financial. A world where money doesn’t do all the talking any more? Those dreams are of God. And we can’t stop them.
Prayer: This Lenten season, may we pay attention to our dreams. May we will see what we need to let go of. And may we see what is holding on to us. Amen.
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Devotion prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL
The devotions this Lenten season will be based on the novel Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Orbital won the Booker Prize in 2024. It is a beautifully written story about the experience of a group of people orbiting the Earth in a spaceship. They see 16 sunrises and sunsets in a 24 hour period. The book is a reflection on the experience of living together and appreciating planet Earth in a new way.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 