students of jesus

In our family we love to talk about dreams. Morning conversations often begin with, “Listen to this: last night I dreamed . . . “ We share how the Spirit visited us in the night and whispered to our hearts.

Dreams are part of the grand sweep of the Bible’s story: Jacob saw in a dream how the heavens and earth were connected by a great ladder; the prophet Daniel explained to the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar how the God of heaven spoke through dreams; Matthew’s gospel reveals how Joseph, Mary’s husband, time and again took direction through dreams, and in so doing Joseph protected the redemptive future of God embodied in the Christ child. Dreams are part of God’s great lexicon.

That God uses dreams should come as no surprise to any student of Jesus. What may be surprising is how the Spirit of God apportions dreams to older folk in greater numbers and depth than to the young. Peering far into the future, the prophet Joel saw the day of Pentecost coming. Joel also saw an important distinction:

And afterward,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your old men will dream dreams,
    your young men will see visions.

In that great day of fulfillment, Pentecost, the apostle Peter repeated these verses, calling our attention to the different ways God speaks to the young and the old.

Young men are visionaries; old men are dreamers. The Spirit is behind them both.

We sometimes use “dreams” and “vision” as synonyms, but this is a mistake. I believe there’s a difference. Dreams reveal mysteries; visions show the future. Vision is a call to action; a dream draws us into conversation with God. Every work of God needs both. The Spirit is the wise scribe who writes upon the hearts of both young and old—but in different manner.

A great change is upon the church—in North America, at least. One generation is passing away; another is taking the lead. This change can bring danger if the old try to keep their position and power, and if the young try to wrestle control away from those who have built the house of God. Both attitudes can tear the body of Christ apart. Or we can treat each perspective as a treasure, and enrich both generations in the process.

The young and vigorous are see God’s future and run toward it. Vision (given by the Spirit) inspires and ignites them. Their lives will be lived in the decades ahead. It’s their responsibility to receive one world, and shape another. The future belongs to them. It is theirs to build.

The grey-hairs can give a great gift to this new generation: a divinely inspired perspective on the past, capable of furthering the future. Dreams are not simply hopes for a new day. Most dreams draw upon our past experiences and interpret them in new ways. Our personal history is the soil capable of new life. This is not only true personally, it’s true for the church.

Will the older generation let the young run and stride toward God’s grand vision? We should. Will the younger generation treasure the deep things of the Spirit already given? We should. The church is one family under one heaven, a family young and old. Together we carry God’s grand mission forward.