Dream

"...God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendent of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, 'Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!' Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 'Don't be afraid, Mary,' the angel told her, 'for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High...He will reign over Israel forever and His Kingdom will never end!'"

- The angel Gabriel, Luke 1:26-33

"Who we are today… and who we are tomorrow… blossoms forth from the dream planted in each of us."

- Anonymous

A little girl watched mom and dad frantically prepare for Christmas. Dad was so preoccupied, tying up end-of-the-year burdens and bundles. Mom seemed so stressed planning parties and buying presents. One day in particular, this little girl felt so overlooked and, more than once, heard her parents say as they were hurrying to set up the tree, "Sweetheart, would you please get out of the way… Go play!" So, that night, as dad tucked her in, she prayed,

"Our Father who art in Heaven...

Please forgive us our 'Christmases'

As we forgive those who 'Christmas' against us!"

Christmas, first and foremost, is about dreams coming to pass! The story of Christmas begins with an angel visiting a young girl and assuring her that God has a dream for her life - a dream that was bigger and better than anything she could have imagined for herself. A dream that would bless her and her world. A dream so wonderful she could hardly believe it! There's an old gospel song that says,

I wasn't going to tell nobody...

But I just can't keep it to myself!

What have you been dreaming about this Christmas? What's the dream in you that will bless you and your world?

Has the Lord showed you some stuff in 2021 that was so big and so bold that you were afraid to even whisper it for fear of what people would think? But sometimes when you're driving, you think about it, and tears flood your eyes and you wonder, "Could it be, Lord? Really?" And sometimes when you're supposed to be sleeping, you find yourself staring at the ceiling thinking about what God has shown you and wondering, "Could it happen? Lord, is this You?"

The angel told Mary that this is the season you don't have to convince anybody about your dream - if they don't believe it… if they try to diminish it or dismiss it as impossible… just tell them, "Wait a little while… ‘Cause it's God's dream for me, so it will come to pass!" The only one you need to believe in your dream, besides you, is God! And He's the one who gave it to you!

In the story, the angel tells Mary three things every dreamer needs to know…

1st… "Fear not!" When the dream is God-birthed, it will always be bigger than you! God-given dreams will always intimidate us at first. But… God hasn't given us a spirit of fear, but of love and of power and of authority. So, whatever it is that God has shown you, don't be afraid to go after it!

2nd… "You have favor!" God selected you for the dream He put in you. Why? Because You are one of His favorites! Let's be honest… you almost gave up on your dream, didn't you? You almost lost it… quit on it…  forgot it… went crazy because of it. But it's still there in your heart! Why? Because God selected you for it!

3rd… "It's already in you!" Notice… God didn't ask Mary for permission. He told her, "You are already carrying it (Him)." The good dream of God is already in you! So no weapon formed against you will squelch it! There's a big dream already in you for your family… for your marriage… for your children… for your health… for your church… for your business… for your future… for your life!

And guess what? You're already showing! The dream is in you! God has put something supernatural in you this Christmas that He wants to bring into the world in 2022! A dream that will bless you and those in your world, just like how the dream of a young girl 2000 years ago blessed her and all of us… That she, a girl from the wrong side of town… a girl that barely stood out from the crowd… a girl that went unnoticed by the celebrities of her day… would be selected by God to bring His Son, our Savior, into our world!

Wow! Believe it… the dream is in you!

Happy New Year!

Pastor Harry

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