A Dream Deferred

Sermon as preached at Lambs and Evington UMC on 3/1/15

Read Mark 8:31-38

Image Courtesy of Pitts Theology Library

Ever since I first read it in High School, Langston Hughes’ poem “A Dream Deferred”  has spoken to me and in a way haunted me.  “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore—And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags  like a heavy load.   Or does it explode?.” I absolutely love this poem; the heartbreak, the desperation, the lingering hope are all so powerful. I recently stumbled across this poem again and it got me thinking. What happens when we are called to intentionally defer our dreams?  You see, this poem speaks to the external circumstances that crushed or at least delayed dreams of many African Americans in the early part of the 20^th century. Issues such as segregation, unjust laws and even War forced many to postpone or delay their dreams. My question on the other hand is what if our dream was obtainable, but we were called to let it go? Would we do it?

            All of us have dreams. Many of us share in similar dreams. There would be no such thing as the American dream if it wasn’t something shared by so many. What is that American dream? To become successful in our jobs, To have a house to call our own, To have a spouse and children and be able to provide for them with the best education, best extra-curricular activities so that we may leave them in a better position than even we ourselves are in. The dream is to be able to be self-sufficient and not rely on anyone else.  Our religion sometimes even feeds into this dream that we have. Sadly God is viewed by many Christians around our country as a means to achieve our dream. If we pray hard enough, if we give enough to our churches, if we are there every Sunday in Worship then God is going to bless us. God is going to make sure we have the money we need and then some. God will make sure our children get into the school of their dreams. God will get us the job that we want or the dream house we have been saving for. God will take away any burden, any hardship, any suffering we may be facing. If we truly believe, then God will make our dreams a reality.

            Jesus however explicitly tells us that this is not the case. In our passage this morning from Mark Jesus talks about his own suffering that is to come. He openly declares that the chief priests and elders will reject him, and that he will be killed. Peter responded the same way I feel many Christians would today. Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes him. This word rebuke had already been used in the Gospel by Jesus usually when he was casting demons out of people. In essence, Peter is calling Jesus mad, saying that he is acting possessed. Peter believes that Jesus is the Messiah, but in his mind there is no way that the Messiah would be called to suffer; that’s not how the dream went. The Messiah would come and use the power that Jesus has already demonstrated that he has, and use it to destroy the enemies of Israel and return nation to its glory. In Peter’s mind the Messiah would not be called to suffer, for if that were true the Messiah’s followers would be called to suffer as well.

            But in fact that is exactly what Jesus is saying, and Jesus doesn’t say so lightly. “Get behind me Satan” Jesus cries out to Peter. Imagine the position Peter is in. Peter was bold enough to call out him leader and his boss, to practically call him possessed; and now he is the one who is being called Satan. Peter questioned whether Jesus knew what he was talking about, and Jesus makes it abundantly clear that what he said was no mistake. He tells Peter, “For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." He then calls out to the crowd, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?  

            A life of discipleship, a life of following the Messiah, is a life in which there will be suffering. As Christians we hear Jesus calling us to take up our cross and follow him. Unfortunately, this means at times we must put down our own dreams to lift up that cross. We must take our minds off of human things, off of those personal dreams, and set our minds upon the things of God. If we don’t believe this is true, If we still doubt that Jesus is really calling us to put aside the things of this Earth, then just look at the story of the man who just lost his father. When the man asks Jesus to let him first bury his father’s body before following him, Jesus replies, “Let the dead bury the dead.”

            Following Jesus is no joke. Jesus asks a lot of us, but it is nothing that he has not already done for us. Still I feel like many of us are today are just as bold as Peter was. We say to God, “ Um God, are you sure you know what you are talking about here? Instead of calling us to suffer with you, wouldn’t it be better if you showed people how great you were by making your followers dreams come true? Wouldn’t it be better if you just gave to us everything we ask if we ask hard enough and are good people?” Now we might not actually say that to God, but isn’t this often what our actions are saying. But Jesus calls us to set our minds not on our earthly dreams, but to set them upon Christ. We are not called to gather up things that make this world better for ourselves, in fact we are called to  lose our lives for Christ. Now this is certainly a difficult thing to ask, and please do not here me saying that I have gotten it right, but God knows I have failed. God knows that I have missed opportunities for ministry or service because it did not fit my plan, it was not part of my dream of schools, or jobs, or even ordination. God knows I have been quiet in the face of injustice because of the fear of how it might affect my dream, my status, or even what people thought about me. God knows I have failed, and God knows you have too, and so it is in fact such a blessing that we are able to gather together for Worship in this season of Lent, able to confess of our failures, confess that we have been earthly minded, and strive together to take up our cross, to intentionally put our dreams on hold, so that God may come first.

            So what happens to a dream intentionally deferred?  Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore—And then run. Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.   Or does it explode? I think it does explode, for when our dreams are put aside for the sake of Jesus, there is a power in it,  like an explosion, that cannot be contained.