Dreaming During Advent
Matthew 1:18-25
When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him... Matthew 1:24a
Deeply embedded within African American culture, dreaming is a resource for surviving the everyday traumas of being Black in America. In the days of my youth, dreams were understood to be messages from God as guidance for daily living. Everyone, whether within the church community or the extra-church community, understood the messages from dreams to promote individual and communal well-being. Dreaming, like praying, kept African Americans close to and in constant conversation with God.
Because dreaming was such a normal part of life in my childhood, the sharing of dreams represented a spiritual discipline. As powerful as the experience of dreaming is, dreaming is nothing without dream interpretation. Within African American dream interpretation, dreams are less about symbolic representations but are understood to be direct and literal communications. Dreams are intended to keep the dreamer from harm by revealing what was previously hidden or by revealing the person’s responsibility or irresponsibility.
Joseph’s dream, using an African American cultural interpretation, is seen as a visitation and direct communication from “an angel of the Lord.” “When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” Joseph did not reflect on the symbols of the dream; nor did he hesitate and explore multiple ways to interpret the angel of his dream. Once he awoke, he accepted the message as direct from the Lord and did as he was instructed. By Joseph following his dreams, he became an active agent within God’s plan for redeeming creation. May we all, like Joseph, follow our dreams as divine messages from God!
Dr. Lee H. Butler, Jr.
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Academic Dean
William Tabbernee Professor of the History of Religions and Africana Pastoral Theology
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