The March on Washington. Original black and white negative taken August 28th, 1963, Washington D.C, United States. Photographer unknown (The National Archives and Records Administration). Colorized by Jordan J. Lloyd. U.S. Information Agency. Press and Publications Service. ca. 1953-ca. 1978.
Photo by Unseen Histories on Unsplash
Dreams make us change direction
January 16, 2024
Martin Luther King Jr. is synonymous with dreams. Even young children are aware of his rhetoric that echoed over the National Mall all those years ago: “I have a dream…”
But how often do we neglect our dreams today? How often do we write off visions of our lives that seem fantastical or come to us in the depths of slumber?
Earlier in January, many Christians marked a holiday founded on a dream: Epiphany. In the story of the Epiphany, dreams act as the catalyst to escaping the violence of Empire.
First, after their journey to meet the Christ child, the three Magi are told in a dream not to go back to Herod but to return to their country by another way (Matthew 2:12). Second, Joseph receives a warning from an angel in his dream advising him to take baby Jesus and Mary to Egypt to escape Herod’s violence (Matthew 2:13). In these two pivotal moments, it is not reason or logic that opens the doors to freedom: it is dreams.
Our world needs more dream weavers. We need more people to listen to their dreams.
When we listen to our dreams we are invited to be like Joseph, and the Magi, and walk a different way. We are invited to be like Mahalia and Martin and share our dreams with others. Our dreams have the potential to erode the evils of Empire. We must only find the courage to take them seriously.
Mahalia Jackson was a dream weaver. She was the one that whispered to Martin, “Tell them about the dream,” and encouraged his words to become a reality. We all need people in our life who believe in our dreams, even when we don’t believe in them ourselves. We dream better when we share our dreams with community.
I have a dream for a ceasefire and for a free Palestine. Last week at an organizing meeting I had a colleague who mentioned offhand, “We’ll be here at the same time next week, unless my dream comes true and a ceasefire is called.”
In that moment, her dream sliced through doubt to offer a new alternative reality. Our world can be free. We can demand action. The war can stop.
Amanda Gorman’s famous words that rocked the inauguration years ago echo in my mind: The new dawn blooms as we free it/For there is always light,/if only we’re brave enough to see it/If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
We must be brave enough to dream it, too. We must be brave enough to dream of a world where war is not the answer. I dream of a world where children in Gaza can fly kites by the seashore again.
When we listen to our dreams we are invited to be like Joseph, and the Magi, and walk a different way. We are invited to be like Mahalia and Martin and share our dreams with others. Our dreams have the potential to erode the evils of Empire. We must only find the courage to take them seriously.
Rev. Kaeley McEvoy is a Washington, D.C. based writer and community organizer. She is ordained in the United Church of Christ and works as the Fellowship Program Director at Sojourners. She formerly served as associate minister at Westmoreland Congregational UCC in Bethesda, Maryland.
The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
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