Dream Your Way to Success

Matthew 1:18-2:12

I have a Star…

Let’s begin by listening to the story of a star.

On a night two thousand years ago, a few wise men from the East went to Jerusalem after they saw the star of the king of the Jews—the Messiah.

After they arrived at Jerusalem, they were told that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Then, they went on the road to Bethlehem. The star re-appeared before them. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy (Matt. 2:10)!

The star led them to the place where the child was and stopped there. And going into the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary; they fell down and worshiped him. They offered gold, frankincense, and myrrh as gifts to him.

These wise men were astrologers. When they saw that star, they were filled with joy, and drawn to this star. Why such an outrageous response from the wise men?

The reason is because the star brought to their conviction of the arrival of Messiah whom the Jews longed for. They strongly believed that this star represented the fulfilment of hope and promise.

At that time, the nation of Israel had lost their kingdom for more than five hundred years. God’s people, Israel were in despair. They were living under Roman occupation. They considered themselves not having return from Babylonian Captivity yet. So, they put their hope in the coming of the Messiah, as prophesied by Isaiah:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6).

The appearance of the star rekindled their long-cherished hope. However, King Herod and some others in Jerusalem were deeply disturbed when they learned of the star.

King Herod was the puppet king of Judea, installed by the Roman Empire. If the Messiah, the King of the Jews, was truly born, then his position as king would be in endangered. In the name of national security, social stability, and his personal gain, he used the wise men to ascertain the whereabouts of the newborn King, so that he could kill the new born child.

However, the wise men did not report back to him. Outraged, Herod ordered the killing of boys aged two years and below throughout Bethlehem. This was the tragedy of the “Massacre of the Innocents.” These infants were victims in the name of national security.

At the time of Jesus’ birth, the Israelites had long lost their kingdom. Some Jews had actually had given up hope. They had lost faith on ancient prophecy. Some even collaborated with the Roman Empire by joining the ruling class. They were the Sadducees and temple priests.

The prophesied Messiah seemed to have been reduced to a mere national myth – irrelevant and dead. However, the emergence of the star pierced the darkness and altered the course of history.

The star was a proclamation of faith, hope, and God’s promise. Christmas is season of faith, hope, and God’s promise, not just busy travelling, shopping and eating. Are you today in the right mode of Christmas?

I have a Dream…

Next, let’s come and dream.

Whenever you tell people about your dreams, people often pouring cold water to you, saying, “Come on, be more realistic! Stop daydreaming!”

Actually, what is the difference between daydreaming and dreams?

Of course, our dreams are always beyond present reality. That is the nature of dreams. Whatever you can accomplish under present conditions and existing systems cannot be properly called a dream. Dream by nature is unrealistic, and for this reason, we cannot but feeling fascinated and excited when dreams come true!

Two thousand years ago, there was a man by the name of Joseph who had a dream.

When Joseph learned of his fiancée’s pregnancy, he decided to quietly end their engagement. When he had considered these things, an angel appeared in Joseph’s dream, saying:

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (that is, ‘God with us’)” (1:20-23).

When Joseph woke up, he obeyed the instructions of the angel and married Mary.

Joseph’s situation was very sudden, inexplicable, and utterly absurd. At first, he refused to marry Mary out of human instinct, common sense, and fear. Then, he obeyed ungrudgingly angel’s instruction to marry Mary. Why such a change of attitude?

The only explanation for this change of attitude is that the dream helped him to understand that the absurd event was actually God’s will and plan. When he understood his situation from this new perspective, he readily obeyed and, thus, connected his life to God’s plan.

Do we still have dreams for ourselves and our families, for the church, and for our communities or the country?

It is equally important to ask: Are our dreams related to God? In the pursuit of our dreams, do we entrust those dreams to God and beseech Him to grant us the wisdom, courage, strength, and hope that we need?

If we respond according to God’s will, new possibilities will open up to us and dreams that are inconceivable can be achieved, even in the face of difficulties, limitations, and the incomprehensible. Just like Joseph’s response to his dream, we are to undertake even self-sacrifices in realizing our dreams so as Christ could be “born” into people lives.

On the night of Jesus’ birth, the shepherds were out in the wilderness of Bethlehem. Suddenly, angels appeared in the sky and the sound of their praises to God broke the silence of the night. They declared, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (2:14).

The angels were announcing more than just the birth of the king of the Jews. They were proclaiming the arrival of the Saviour of all humanity. This new possibility is an inconceivable dream. The coming of Jesus was not only to fulfil a Jewish legend. His birth was a universal legend!

Ah! A Legend…

The star and the dream two thousand years ago spoke of the transcendent God who became a human being by the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ words, deeds, and teachings embodied and proclaimed the gospel of repentance and forgiveness for sinners. He intervened in your lives and mine in order to save us.

Today, our celebration of the birth of Christ is also a celebration of the renewal of life. Anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as their Saviour will have their lives transformed. They will experience God’s bountiful grace and their lives will be a legend!

Jesus does not only save us individually but He also establishes churches through His disciples so that love and peace, justice and judgment, may be announced and prevail in every generation.

Jesus comes to liberate those who are oppressed, those who are marginalised (or, even trampled) by the mainstream of society, and also those enslaved by distorted values of the world, just as Jesus proclaimed in the synagogue:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour” (Luke 4:18-19).

Today, two thousand years later, in our journey through the maze of life, when we lose our sense of direction and cannot find the way out, let us look to heaven and behold that the ‘star of wonder, star of night’ is still brightly shining. May the sight of the star rekindle our dwindling faith and lead us forward in our journey.

May what the Joseph heard and responded in his dream continue to remind us today that we should dream big for God, and walk according to God’s will and have His plans accomplished in our lives, making our lives a legend.

Perhaps we feel as though we are in prison, with all kinds of restrictions placed upon us, which causes us to jettison our ideals. Let’s look to heaven and behold the still shining star of old and have our shaky faith renewed. May the sight of the star renew our values and earnestness as we steward our families, careers, the church, our communities, and the country.

Let’s listen carefully to the voice that the Joseph of old heard in his dream. Allow the voice in that dream to summon us to never give up even in the face of the seemingly impossible set in a hostile environment. In all things and at all times, we should lay ourselves down, commit to God, accept His arrangements, and participate in His plan.

Conclusion

The road that we travel together with the Lord is a long and arduous one. Our sanctification and accomplishing the mission of the church are also long and arduous journeys. It is inevitable that we slip and fall. Or, after scaling one mountain we may discover that there are still many other mountains ahead of us.

As we journey through the long and arduous road, let’s behold the star in heaven, set our heart upon the dream, and God will help us to live out the legendary life, to the glory of His majestic name!