Sweet Dreams

In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit and they shall prophesy.—Acts 2:17-18

Dear People of St. David’s,

Here we are in the middle of Lent—that church season when we focus on denying ourselves and spending time doing good for others. We have the tendency to cram in extra services and programs and music (but no flowers!). We clean and polish and dust. We make extra pastoral visits and plan the Annual Meeting and the summer programs. Right about now, in the clergy suite, we are getting down to the details of Holy Week, which every year threaten to break the copy machine with the extra work. We might, just possibly, be erring on the side of historical reenactment in our worship preparations. (Has anyone ordered the palms yet? Are there enough towels for the foot-washing?)

For the last seven centuries, the church has celebrated this coming Fourth Sunday in Lent as “Refreshment Sunday.” Some churches even change the color of the vestments from purple to rose (pink)—they truly “lighten up.” It’s time for a little break in the business of the Lenten discipline. For the last half-century at least, copy machines have wondered how they can get in on this refreshment idea.

For your refreshment, then, I offer you a small scriptural reflection from an entirely different season of the church year. There is a promise given in Holy Scripture that we tend to forget—we busy, busy people! The prophet Joel makes the promise first, to God’s weary and sinful people. Peter repeats the promise on that day of the Pentecost festival, when the Holy Spirit poured out over the people of Jerusalem, and the church was born:

It’s a lovely promise—the declaration that God will be with us—all of us, regardless of age or gender or social class. Not only will God be with us, but we will be able to see and share and dream and know the reign of God.

Prophecies, visions, and dreams have this in common: they require imagination. Perhaps it is because I am not getting any younger that I am thinking most of the dream part of the promise. You know what? You cannot dream unless you sleep. In fact, you cannot dream unless you sleep well and deeply. That is, we dream when we are refreshed. We can envision change when we are rested. We can offer prophecy when our imaginations have had the time and space to recharge. Prophecies, visons, and dreams are gifts from God, promised in both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. I think it’s a reasonable Lenten discipline to make the time and space for the rest and quiet to allow God’s gift to pour into and flow out of us.

Sweet dreams!

Nancy+

The Rev. Nancy Webb Stroud
Priest Associate

Published on March 12, 2026.