Sermon On Dreams Or Desires?

Edgar Allan Poe, an American poet once remarked: “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” Genesis 37:5-9 reminds us: Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

Dreams are defined as a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep. They are usually considered spurious in nature. Dreams are a form of imagination, but they may resemble more than just that. While dreams involve imaginative processes, they are not the same as waking imagination. Waking imagination, also known as active imagination, which possibly fuel desires, refer to the intentional use of wishes while awake. Occasionally, this can occur in the so-called darkness of life, considered a partial awareness between waking and dreaming. This darkness needs to be eradicated to allow the full light to shine forth, thus removing possible opaqueness and allowing clarity. It explores one's inner world and facilitates personal growth or creative expression.

Dreams that occur during sleep are often involuntary and difficult to control, whereas desires are typically conscious and can be directed. Dreams can be seen as a form of "imagination roaming freely". Dreams have often been said to never be in the place they ought to be. Dreams frequently feature in diverse locations that are different from where one is physically. They crop up in times of unexpectedness. That is because the brain is creating a unique, symbolic environment during sleep. This environment is not bound by the constraints of reality, allowing for the mixing of past experiences, current thoughts, and potential future scenarios. Dreams can shape lives, they can inspire action, provide insights, and fuel ambitions, ultimately contributing to the realization of one’s goals and desires. Desires are conditions characterized by wanting, wishing, or longing for something.

Joseph's dreams in the Bible are generally considered prophetic by biblical scholars and commentators, foretelling his future rise to power and his family's eventual submission to him. These dreams are seen as a divine revelation that sets the stage for his significant role in preserving his family during a famine. However, generally, there are varying opinions about dreams. Not everyone believes in their prophetic credence. While some individuals and religious groups believe that dreams can offer insights into the future, others refute this theory. Many people, including some Christians, believe that God can speak through dreams, but others view dreams as a product of the subconscious mind with no inherent prophetic significance.

Conversely, Acts 2:5-21 describes the dramatic events of Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples in Jerusalem, resulting in them speaking in other languages in a large crowd gathering. Peter quotes the prophet Joel, stating that in the "last days," God will pour out his Spirit on all people, and they will prophesy, see visions, and dream dreams. This passage connects the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with both dreams and visions as a means through which God's message is communicated. This passage signifies the birth of the Christian Church and the fulfillment of God's promise to pour out His Spirit on all people. The passage reminds us: “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians - we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions,and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”