Acts 2:1-21 Pentecost 5.23.10 “Dare to live the Dream”
A friend, who holds a sweet place in my heart, called me from Barnes and Noble one afternoon to ask for my help in selecting a book. He wanted a long book, to get his money’s worth. He also wanted a challenge, so it didn’t matter if the book was a difficult read.
I promised him, that if he read the whole book, I would treat him to lunch at his favorite restaurant. I bought his lunch last fall and he handed me 900 pages ofDon Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
It is the story of Don Quixote, a gentleman, who sits around the hacienda all day reading about knights, chivalry and gallantry. Since he has nothing better to do, he decides to become a knight. The only problem is, as Don Quixote says:
“The sole end of my labours is to convince the world of its error, in not seeking to renew those most happy times, when the order of knight-errantry exerted itself in full perfection; but, this depraved age of ours is unworthy of tasting that felicity which was enjoyed by those ages, when knights-errant undertook the charge, and burdened their shoulders with the defence of kingdoms, the protection of damsels, the relief of wards and orphans, the chastizement of the proud, and the promotion of thehumble.” (p. 499)
Because of the novel Don Quixote, we have the word "quixotic," which means naïve and out of touch with reality. It is not a compliment to be called "quixotic." It means you are irrelevant, eccentric and probably a bit crazy.
The Spanish philosopher, Miguel de Unamuno, suggests Don Quixote represents the person of faith in our time. The Middle Ages was not only the time of knights, it was also called the "Age of Faith." By the time of Cervantes, that age was gone. Culture was no longer dominated by Christianity. A new world was emerging. From that point on in history, to be a Christian in the minds of many people was to be like Don Quixote, who was looked upon as ridiculous, an anachronism who believes irrational things, with dreams that can never be fulfilled.
Ted Turner, the multibillionaire, said he disliked Christianity because it was a religion of losers, and he is right. Christianity is based on a vision of what this world should be, a world of people living together in peace, a world where everyone finds the fulfillment of their life that God intended for them, a vision where men and women will live for the Kingdom of God.
Unamuno, who was a devout Roman Catholic, compared Don Quixote to the saints of the Church. Unamuno said what characterized the saints is:
a "disparity between the hugeness of their desire and the smallness of reality," what a phrase, a "disparity between the hugeness of their desire and the smallness of reality."
To live with a huge desire in a finite, sinful world means that you are going to experience defeat. You may even be labeled as a "loser". It is especially difficult in a time when success is defined by adapting your dreams and ideals to the smallness of the world. Don Quixote wouldn't do that. The saints wouldn't do that. Jesus wouldn't do that. Jesus was crucified because He would not compromise His Vision of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus said:
"What does it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your soul."
Our soul, our very essence, is that which leads us to dreams and visions, pulling us on to something that is greater than ourselves.
Our scripture lesson from the “Acts of the Apostles” is the first Christian sermon. Peter is explaining the miracle they are experiencing and he quotes the prophet Joel:
"Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young shall see visions, and your old shall dream dreams."
The reason, the disciples are on fire, the reason why they are behaving in such an extraordinary way is because they are now inspired by a Vision, a Vision of the way the world will be. There can be a new heaven and a new earth!
From Pentecost on, the mission of the Church is to give young people a vision of what this world can be,ofwho they can be, AND to keep older people dreaming, not letting them get discouraged about the Vision.
The Disciples have been transformed by a Vision. They refuse to conform the hugeness of that Vision to the smallness of the world. I smile when I think about Ruth Gordon, the actress. She was discouraged from becoming an actress by her parents, by her teachers and by her acting coach. She was too short. She was not attractive. Her acting skills were not that great. Well, she made it. She became a star. Ruth Gordon’s motto was:
"Never face the facts unless you are ready to forget them."
Ruth Gordon would not reduce the hugeness of her dream to the smallness of the facts.
Christians are called to do just that. For theirs is a goal greater than this world, a Vision greater than our culture can imagine.
That is why Paul wrote to the Philippians:
"I am not yet what I am going to be. But I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own." (3:12)
People thought Don Quixote was so ridiculous because of whom he chose to be. A knight of courage and gallantry was no longer popular. He was the defender of noble causes, and nobody was doing that anymore.
You’ve heard the phrase: "inventing yourself." There is also the phrase: “reinventing yourself," which is used primarily reserved for scandal ridden politicians! We can invent ourselves. We can even reinvent ourselves after images presented to us in the culture. In the Age of Faith, it was the image of saints that instructed people who they were supposed to be. Now, we have the image presented before us of models, movie stars and television personalities. Our culture tells us to be who advertising tells us to be.
Maybe that is what makes the Christian look like a loser to Ted Turner, and to others, because we seek to be different. As it is put in the First Letter of John:
"It has not yet appeared what we shall be, but we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him." (3:2)
To be a Christian means we pattern our life after Jesus. Jesus said:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life."
That’s the life we are to emulate. Flannery O'Connor paraphrased Jesus saying:
"You shall know the truth and the truth shallmake you free,"
as:
"You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you odd,"
just like Don Quixote.
For Christians – the vision – is what life is all about. Life is not about adapting to this world. Life is about praying and working for the Kingdom of God. People are successful in this world because they adapt to the world.
Christians are successful, faith-filled, because they work for the Kingdom of God. That is the Vision, the dream. And it’s not impossible!
I am now on page 640 of Don Quixote. I’m enjoying reading about Don Quixote jousting with windmills and taking on causes no one else is interested in. I am also reading the “Book of Acts”, enthralled by the power of the Vision that took frightened disciples and made them powerful witnesses to the Good News of Jesus, the Christ. That, my friends is God’s dream for us, and nothing is impossible with God.
Let us pray:
Loving God, remind us every day of the Vision of Pentecost, that we, too, may live Your Kingdom into being. Amen.
BLESSING:
May you be blessed by the Vision, The Vision of what God intends for this world to be, A Kingdom of grace, love & peace AND may you work to bring the Vision of Jesus into being. Amen.