Are Our Relationships with God High Maintenance?

 

I recently spent a couple of days looking after our (I really should say my wife’s) cat while Lorna was away visiting a friend.  This was the first time this opportunity fell to me.  Trixie the cat and I have a rather strained relationship as she has never really trusted me after being taken in as a feral cat. We have speculated about this with no real answers’ forthcoming.  In any case, Trixie and I both survived the experience. 

However, what became clearer than ever before was that Trixie is a very high maintenance cat.  We have all probably experienced or know about relationships that are high maintenance as opposed to some that are less so.  Trixie is definitely high maintenance.  I know that Lorna has no question about it being worthwhile. 

As a result of this experience, I got to wondering about the relationship between God and people.  Is that relationship high maintenance and, if so, so what?  In my experience personally and as a Spiritual Director, it seems that the relationship between God and people takes a lot of conscious effort on the part of the people of God.  Often, we are not aware of how God is present and active in our lives.  As modern people in a secular world, we have forgotten how to recognize that presence.  We may be aware of what it takes to recognize where God is present in our lives.  However, we often do not know how to respond to that.  If people are part of a Christian community, hopefully they will be given information about how to identify and respond to that presence.  They are called to gather together as a community to worship God and, hopefully, are encouraged to study scripture, to pray regularly, study, and to share that experience of God with others through acts of kindness and Christian charity. 

However, even if we know God’s presence and blessing in our lives, we can easily ignore and avoid what it takes to maintain that relationship.  We might have good intentions about doing more to keep God in our conscious awareness and deepen that relationship but things in life seem to get in the way of doing that. We can sometimes, conveniently or not, forget to make that effort.  Sometimes life does seem to get in the way of doing those things.  If we neglect to keep up our end of the relationship, the relationship will wither and even die.  However, God is always present in our lives and that relationship can be resurrected and reestablished. 

I will use an analogy to illustrate this. Everyone dreams, and scientific studies have shown that dreams are necessary for our psychological and physiological health.  Many people will be aware that they dreamed last night when they awaken in the morning.  However, many people have difficulty remembering their dreams.  However, if they pay attention to their dreams they will begin to remember them more frequently and in more detail.  They can pay attention by recording their dreams and making associations with the images in the dream.  In that way, dreams are also high maintenance.  They require attention, and work to maintain the relationship that you have with your dreams. 

Now I believe that dreams are one way in which God maintains the relationship with us.  Culturally we have forgotten the language of dreams – dreams are, in effect, God’s forgotten language in our culture today.  But, even if you don’t subscribe to this understanding of dreams, they are important for our health and wholeness as human beings, and it is beneficial to pay attention to them.  Regardless, it takes two to tango.  We must keep our part of the bargain – our part of the relationship.  It definitely is a high maintenance relationship; it requires work to maintain but it is definitely worth it.  That is exactly with same with my relationship with God. 

My relationship with Trixie – not so sure but I will keep trying. 

May you be blessed to keep working on your relationship with God. 

 

God's Language

Tomorrow, I will be facilitating a dream group in an event sponsored by Dreamwork Canada. If you are interested, you can find more information at https://dreamworkcanada.squarespace.com/.  We will be using a group process of exploring dreams which I was trained in with the Haden Institute.  In this process we consider dreams to be God’s Forgotten Language.

Dreams are a way in which God “speaks” to us.  However, our culture has lost the knowledge that  God is communicating with us through our dreams.  In the case of dreams and in many of the other ways in which God speaks to us, we no longer understand how God is speaking to us or even that God is speaking to us.  God does speak to us in many different ways and in many modes.  In the case of dreams, God uses the language of metaphor and symbols.    By exploring the images in dreams and treating them as metaphors and symbols, we can unpack the message and meaning contained in the dream.

Our culture generally does not appreciate the value that dreams bring to each of us.  We maintain that dream come in the service of health and wholeness of the dreamer and of society.  As a Christian, I have faith that dreams are used by God to help us become the people that God intends us to be.  However, even if you don’t believe this, dreams can still be understood as necessary and beneficial for our health and wholeness and will enable us to live life more fully.

If you would like to explore what dreams can say to you, the best way to begin is to record you dreams by writing them down i.e. keep a dream journal.  That will assist you in remembering your dreams which can be a challenge for many people.  Look at the images in the dream and begin to explore the images by identifying the associations you have with that image.  For instance, if it is a building, what kind of a building is it – a house, a school, a government building.  What is the purpose of the building and what kind of activity might occur in the building.  Look for the ‘aha’ moment when the meaning is revealed in this exploration. 

There are many books which can help you on this journey into the world of dreams.  Many sources are available on the internet but as with all information of the internet, be careful not to be led down rabbit holes.  A good place to start is the Dreamwork Canada web site which has resources listed and information on upcoming events where you can gain experience with working with dreams.

I will close with the prayer we use when working with dreams in our group process.

Holy Dream Maker, Creator of All,
Be with us as we open our hearts and minds 
to the divine wisdom in our dreams.
We thank you and honour You.
As you guide us in the way to health and wholeness,
may we be open to the blessings of your message.

May you be blessed to know the meaning of your dreams on your journey.

 

Dreams, God’s Forgotten Language

 

Today, after Easter Sunday, we are in a time when Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.   One may ask, how are Christians to know what God is calling us to do and be in the world today?  One way is to listen to what God is telling us in our dreams.  

 

Dreamwork Canada is offering three opportunities via Zoom to explore our dreams as one of the ways God speaks to us. Each session will enable participants to explore dreams from different approaches within a Christian context using the concepts of Carl Jung. We will be offering an opportunity in learning how indigenous communities relate to their dreams. Our first workshop will feature an opportunity to explore an indigenous approach to reconciliation through dreams.

 

Workshop Opportunities

 

Tuesday, May 10, 2022, 6:30 PM—8:30 PM  ET

Dreams and Reconciliation-Hope for the Future of us All.

Led by Dr. Wendy Whitecloud

 

Tuesday, October 25, 2022  6:30PM—8:30 PM  ET

Movement, Body and Faith in Dreams

Led by Alexandra Caverly-Lowery, MDiv, ThM.

 

Tuesday, February 21, 2023  6:30 PM—8:30 PM  EST, ,

Six Magic Questions, led by Rev. Greg Little

 

For more about the workshops and the leaders please visit our website: www.dreamworkcanada.squarespace.com

 

To register, follow this link: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/bloor-street-united-church/events/dreamworks-exploring-gods-forgotten-language-2/

 

Dreams, God’s Forgotten Language

                                                                         

Jacob’s Dream

Many of you will know that I hold dreams to be very important in my life and as a phenomenon which is universal in people’s experience.  To be clear, I am speaking of dreams which people experience in their sleep and not the hopes that people might have for their lives – although night dreams can express that aspect of people’s lives.

In this modern age, particularly in the scientific age, dreams have not been given much credence.  They were and often are dismissed as being a mechanical process which, at best, was a way for the brain to process and clear out the detritus of the previous days’ activity.  Historically, however, this was not the case.  Dreams were understood to be a way in which God, or gods, or demons communicated with people.  Indeed, dreams play a significant role for Christians and Jews in the way that God communicated with people of the Bible as the shown by the illustration of Jacob’s dream above. 

We Christians are about to enter the season of Advent which is the preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the Christ child.  The Christmas story is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the role that dreams as messages from God to the Holy family - from the annunciation to the dubious Mary that she would bear the son the God and the announcement of that miracle to her shocked husband to be.  There were many other divine dreams such the warning to the wise men not to return to the tell the despicable king Herod of the birth.  That is just a taste of the riches of the Christmas story from the perspective of how dreams are used to communicate divine messages to people.

One of the challenges which we face today is to understand how God is speaking to us in dreams.  Modern people, for the most part, now longer understand what God is telling us in our dreams.  In effect, we no longer know the language of dreams.  I have been involved, for many years, in helping people understand how to do this through the insights and inspiration of Carl Jung, the Swiss psychologist.  Along with my wife Lorna and others we will be offering an introduction in how to work with our dreams to understand them as a way in which God speaks to us.  We will be holding a workshop at the end of this coming January.  It will be offered via Zoom which has the challenge of new (to us) technology but also the advantage that it can be accessed regardless of the participants’ location.  The information of the workshop is provided below.

Dreams:  God’s Forgotten Language

      Friday Jan 29, 2021 (7:30 pm – 9:00 pm)  

                  Saturday Jan 30, 2021 (9:30 am – 4:30 pm)

Cost $40

Join us on Zoom and explore the language of dreams.

This workshop will offer opportunities to an approach to understanding our dreams as one of the ways that God speaks to us.  Within a Christian context, participants will learn about dream interpretation using the concepts of Carl Jung and have opportunities to explore their own dreams as well as working with the dreams of others in a group context. 

This workshop will offer opportunities for those who are new to Jung’s approach to working with dreams as well as those who are familiar with the concepts and practice of Jungian dream work.

Tickets and information ― https://dreamworkcanada.squarespace.com/

Listening to God in Times of Transition

I find that I am in transition once again.  Perhaps I should have expected it but, on some level at least, I am surprized by this development.  I have accepted the offer to be Honourary Assistant in a neighbouring parish which has three congregations including St. James, Parkhill where I was rector until my retirement.  In the five years since I retired as a parish priest, Lorna and I have been worshiping at St. John’s-by-the-Lake in Grand Bend Ontario.  After this coming Sunday I will be beginning a new phase of parish ministry at St. John the Evangelist, Strathroy, St. James, Parkhill, and St. Paul’s Kerwood (amazing how many Anglican churches are named St. John’s).  It will be a new experience being an Honourary Assistant to the rector Rev. Karen Nelles, but one that I am looking forward to. 

One interesting development is that Lorna has decide to continue to worship at the St. John’s in Grand Bend.  She doesn’t want to embrace another change at this point in her life enjoying the congregation and the parishioners.  I am pleased she will be able to continue to worship at our current congregation and we will continue to schedule around the transportation issues of having only one car. 

It is an interesting coincidence (if you believe in them) that yesterday’s Gospel reading, Mark 1: 29-39, dealt with a transition for Jesus.  He was in Capernaum, his home territory.  He was given the honour of teaching in the Synagogue and was successfully healing people and casting out demons.  The demands on him were great to continue as the local hero and doing the wonderful, miraculous work of relieving the suffering of many.  However, after what I believe must have been a sleepless night, he rose early in the morning and spent some time in prayer.

His prayer was answered and he arose to a new realization about what his heavenly Father intended him to do.  His disciples had other ideas about what he should do, “When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’  He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.”  I don’t know how Jesus felt about the path his Heavenly Father had set for him, however, he had no doubt about what it was.

One of the lessons I take from this passage is the importance of prayer.  This is always true for us but particularly in times in transition when there is more than one path ahead.  I particularly lie the fact that Jesus withdrew to a quite place to get away from the demands of people around him.  As an introvert who needs to retreat regularly to my small corner and recharge my batteries, even when retired, I find it affirming that Jesus did just that at different times.

 

The lesson for me from this passage is, as I noted, the importance of prayer, particularly in times of transition.  I use the term “prayer” very broadly.  Prayer can take many different forms as God speaks to us in many different ways.  Our calling is to be intentional about listening to God speaking to us in different ways.  For me one important way is through my dreams, which for me and many others are, God’s Forgotten Language.  It is significant that last night after the decision to become Honourary Assistant was announced, I had a dream which seems, at least at first consideration, to affirm my decision. 

I hope that you

 will be blessed to hear what God is saying to you in times of transition in your life.

Greg

Thin Places and Synchronicity

Last week I wrote about Thin Places where the boundary between heaven and earth is less distinct and more permeable.  There is a psychological aspect to this phenomenon which can be seen in dream time while you are asleep but also in ways when you are awake.  One of the waking manifestations of this is synchronicity.  This is a phenomenon which was extensively studied by Carl Jung.  The simplest definition of synchronicity is ‘a significant coincidence’.  In effect it is two or more seemingly unrelated events which occur in a related way that have a connection that is significant to the person.

I have had some experiences of this nature which particularly stand out.  In one situation I had just finished my interview with the Dean of Theology at Huron University College to be admitted to the M.Div. program.  I had made the decision to enter the program with the intention of beginning the process to ordination as an Anglican priest.  It was a very positive interview and as I drove away from Huron College I turned on the car radio which is always tuned to CBC and the program involved three people being interviewed about their experience of becoming ordained ministers later in life.  I took it as a sign that I was on the path I was intended to be on.

Another time I was taking a course at the University of Toronto as part of my undergraduate studies.  The course was on the psychology of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud.  The class in which we discussed synchronicity was held on April 1^st.  The reading for the class included a letter by Carl Jung discussing the subject which was written on April 1, 1949; that is the date of my birth.   So we have the date of the class studying the phenomenon of synchronicity; we have the date of the letter being studied and we have my birthday.  I understood this to be an affirmation of the meaningful reality of synchronicity. 

Now it is easy to dismiss these events and others like it as mere coincidences without any significance.  You can also do that with dreams and others events that are influenced by the unconscious life.  However, if we pay attention to our dreams and such events in our waking life we will receive information about ourselves that is important for us to know.  During these times the barrier between our conscious life and our unconscious life is more permeable.  I believe that dreams and other such events are ways in which God or the divine—if that is a more acceptable way for you to look at it—speaks to us.  One way of looking at dreams is, God’s Forgotten Language.  God does speak to us in many ways as God does work in mysterious ways that we do not always recognize.  May we have eyes to see and ears to hear and dreams to remember and consider.  Blessings.     

Reading the Bible 35 Genesis 42: 1-25 – The Intricacies of Forgiveness

The events that had been foretold in Joseph’s dreams of stars and moons and sheaves of wheat are now coming to fruition.  The prophecy is not yet complete as only his ten brothers are there to bow down to him.  This fulfills the prophecy of the first dream in which the wheat sheaves of his brothers bow to his.  However, the dream of the sun and moon and eleven stars bow down to him remains to be fulfilled.

In reading this account I wonder if Joseph might not have shown compassion to his brothers and immediately revealed himself to them.  After all their actions in selling him into slavery lead to his ultimate triumph that was foretold in the dreams.  He might have realized that their actions were part of God’s plan for not only Joseph but all of his chosen people.  However, we can hardly blame him for wanting some payback and make his brothers suffer for their evil deeds.  But were his actions just the acting out of his natural desire for revenge or did he have a greater purpose in his actions?

First, Joseph must have known the distress his action in demanding Benjamin be brought to Egypt would have caused his father.  So why did he take this action?  I believe that his actions were necessary for there to be true reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers and his father.  If Joseph had immediately identified himself and welcomed them with open arms there would have always been a barrier between the brother and him and perhaps the brothers and their father.  They would have always wondered if Joseph had truly forgiven them and human nature being what it is they might eventually have secretly or not so secretly resented his good fortune in Egypt just as they had resented the dreams that foretold these events.  

True forgiveness and reconciliation for even minor offenses much less major injury done to a person’s body and spirit is a process which cannot be taken lightly or avoided.  It is very easy to say that you forgive someone – even if you believe it in your head but to find forgiveness for others and for yourself in your heart does not come easily.  It is not a questions of just saying I forgive which can come early in the process for the sake of wanting to move on.  However, the resentment can and does remain on a deeper level and can come bubbling to the surface when we least expect it.  If we are truly to forgive it requires a conversion of the heart which comes from God and not from our will.  Through the grace of God true forgiveness is possible.  Thanks be to God.

Reading the Bible 34 Genesis 41: 37-57 – The Stuff of Dreams

And it came to pass (as will be said later in this same book) that Joseph’s interpretation of the Pharaoh’s dreams were realized.  The seven years of plenty were followed by the seven years of famine.  The Pharaoh’s discernment that Joseph was the one to lead the country through this time of trial was confirmed.   All seemed to be well – at least in Egypt.  However, there are two points which are almost throw away lines at the end of the chapter that should not be overlooked.  

First we are told that Joseph sold to the Egyptians the wheat that had been stored up in the good years.  Apparently there was no free lunch in Egypt in those days.  The wheat that had I’m sure been taken by the Pharaoh was not given back to the people.  They had to buy it back from their ruler through the auspices of Joseph.  There does not seem to be any question that this is just how things were.  It is not a case of the welfare state.  Joseph, the man who had been looked on with favour because of the gifts that God had given him was quite willing to participate in this act of government control which could be interpreted as being ordained by God.  I’m not sure how this would be viewed by those Christians – usually of the fundamentalist bent al la the Tea Party – who call for less government and fewer taxes.  Would they hold that this was necessary for God’s plan to be fulfilled for the Israelites – God chosen people - at least until the United States was established?  Therefore this inconvenient biblical passage can be overlooked.  Of course I am using historical relativism to judge the situation and of course we have to see that God truth is not the same for all people in all times.  God’s truth is being revealed in new ways in an ongoing revelation.  

The second point is that famine was severe throughout the world. Here we have a chicken and egg situation.  God foretold the coming famine through dreams sent to the Pharaoh.  He also gave Joseph the gift of the interpretation of that message.  Was the famine part of God’s plan?  Was it necessary for God to send a famine on the world to enable His plan for Joseph and the Israelites to unfold?  Or did God just use his omniscience to use the events that were destines to happen?  Was the suffering that was inevitable with a world-wide famine necessary for God to fulfil His intention?  It is easy to read into events our understanding of God’s will when they fit our understanding of how God works in the world and how people who we believe deserve God’s punishment receive it with natural events – AIDS as punishment for Gays comes to mind and even the reaction by some to the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina as punishment for the wickedness of that sinful city a la Sodom and Gomorrah.  It is very easy for people of all stripes to relish when bad things happen to those who we consider bad people.  It is always dangerous to believe that God is on our side and should meet out punishment to those we believe deserve it.  We don’t like to leave punishment in the hands of God as God says elsewhere. 

Reading the Bible 32, Genesis 40 - Dreams, God’s Forgotten Language

Reading the Bible 32 Genesis 40 - Dreams, God’s Forgotten Language

After Joseph’s good deed is punished he finds himself in prison.  However, God had not forgotten him and he had not forgotten God.  Joseph’s God-given gift of dream interpretation was with him still.  Previously the rashly shared prophetic dreams of his predominance in his family had set in motion the events which were still unfolding.  However, that same gift now opens a way to release him from his current prison.  He is able to interpret the dreams of his cell mates – the Pharos’s cupbearer and baker

Now the baker and the cup-bearer are in a difficult situation.  They have had what could be called today, big dreams.  However, they believed there was no one there to interpret them.  They held the common understanding that not everyone could interpret dreams.  That was the special purview of priests, magicians and other assorted wise men.  Joseph rebuts this piece of orthodoxy by assuring them that interpretations belong to God.  He goes on to correctly interpret the prophetic dreams of the two men to the joy of the cupbearer and the sorrow of the baker.

Today our culture has generally dismissed the understanding that dreams come from God.  This understanding was the norm in biblical times and continued in the life of the early church being upheld by such church fathers as Tertullian and St. Augustine.  The language of dreams that Joseph was able to understand through God’s grace, is something that our world has generally lost.  However, it is something that can and is being rediscovered and relearned.  Today it is not the secret purview of the magicians and wise-men self-proclaimed or otherwise. 

Dream interpretation and understanding can be taught and learned.  However, it is art as well as skill and it is a useful reminder to treat them as sacred object and that they are in the hands of the divine source of all wisdom as Joseph noted.  It is important to be open to the inspiration that can come when trying to understand dreams. 

May your dreams be fruitful and may you be open to the wisdom contained in them.