True Source

I’ve been in a conversation with someone through Facebook about dreams and revelations recently. Her question, why don’t we just credit the good message, to a good deceased ancestor? Why do we say it is God that gave the good message?

That’s a fair question, and one that deserves a good story.

There is a woman who has a son.

As a child each year he would give her a gift, some expression of love and appreciation for her, because she was his mother. As time passed the son matured, and moved out on his own. He lives far away from his mother, so it is harder for him to deliver the gift to his mother in person, but his love remains and the tradition continues.

Now the son goes to his computer and orders flowers, and gives instructions to have them delivered to his mother.

The florist receives the instructions from the son and prepares the bouquet. Now the florist also needs to prepare many bouquets for many other mothers to be delivered on time. The florist employs the services of a delivery company.

When the delivery is made to the mother, she is surprised and delighted by the beauty of the bouquet and the thoughtfulness of someone. She tells the delivery person “thank you.” Has she thanked the person who gave her the gift? No, she has only thanked a servant, a hired hand.

She brings the bouquet into her home and looks for a card that will tell her who has sent the bouquet.

The name of the florist is listed on the envelope,

but the card inside contains a message from her son.

If she calls the florist to say thanks, just as she did to the delivery person, the true gift giver still has not been properly acknowledged.

To properly acknowledge the gift she must call or write her son, to express her thanks, and appreciation for the gift.  When she tells others about what she has received, she will tell her friends that her son sent the gift, not that the florist gave her the flowers.

For her to thank only the florist and the deliverer is to fail to acknowledge the initial giver of the gift.

This principle applies to spiritual matters as well as material things.

Speaking only for myself, I can explain why I would acknowledge a dream or revelation as something as coming from God, rather than my good aunt Barb, or some other deceased relative.

It boils down to what I profess to believe.

The Nicene Creed is the summation of the Faith within the Anglican Communion. The first Statement is

“WE believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.” 

The question is to whom shall we properly attribute the source of revelations, and dreams. Scripture tells us that dreams and revelations are one of the ways in which God has spoken through the ages to humanity.

For a Christian, it boils down to acknowledging the true source of all good things. Some refer to this as “giving glory to God”, or “glorifying God”

Consider perhaps how many have understood a very famous “revelation” in the United States spoke of by Martin Luther King, just before his assassination. “I have been to the mountaintop….Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” In his speech he also referred to his more famous speech delivered several years later, “I Have a Dream.”

Martin Luther King spoke of his conviction of God’s desire for all humanity and repeated a single phrase, “I have a dream,” with many amplifications. Now, as I see it, within the Christian tradition of the U.S. I believe we hear his message, as a form of revelation that reaffirms a scriptural tradition which is found in the book of Acts, even more than just a dream rooted in “the American Dream”.  

So the question remains for you to answer.

When you have significant dreams, who you think deserves the praise?

The challenge of everyday faithful living in the Christian community is to keep our focus on our purpose, our calling in God.  Do we remember to thank the true source?

This hymn sums it up pretty well for me.

To God with gladness sing, your Rock and Savior bless;

into his temple bring your songs of thankfulness!

O God of might, to you we sing,

enthroned as King on heaven’s height!

He cradles in his hand the heights and depths of earth;

he made the sea and land, he brought the world to birth!

O God Most High, we are your sheep;

on us you keep your shepherds eye!

Your heavenly Father praise, acclaim his only Son,

your voice in homage raise to him who makes all one!

O Dove of Peace, on us descend

that strife may end and joy increase!

James Quinn (Hymnal 1982 #399)