Starlight, Dreams and Vision
Matthew 2:1-12
January 7, 2007 - Epiphany Sunday
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
A number of years ago the owner of a hotel in San Francisco came to the conclusion that the
hotel's single elevator just couldn't handle the traffic. As the hotel staff talked with an architect
they realized that putting in a new elevator would require cutting a hole in every floor, creating
such a mess that it would be necessary to close the hotel during construction. "Well, we'll just
have to close it," the hotel engineer said. "We can't survive without an additional elevator"
A janitor, who happened to be working nearby, overheard the conversation and broke into the
deliberations, saying: "Do you know what I would do?"
"What?" asked the architect, with more than a touch of arrogant disdain.
"Well, sir," the janitor began, "I'd put the elevator on the outside of the building."
The engineer and the architect looked at each other and smiled. For the first time in the
history of architecture, an elevator was built on the outside of a building.
That janitor saw with new eyes, trusted what he saw and risked offering his idea, even in the
face of disdain and disbelief. The engineer and the architect listened to this outsider, grasped his
outlandish vision and dared to try something new. Some might say it was a moment of epiphany -
the dawning of a fresh idea, a flash of insight that led to of a new way of doing things, finding the
missing piece of the puzzle that opens the door to a new reality.
Epiphany -prior to the split between what became the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman
Catholic streams of Christianity- Epiphany was one of the two major festivals of the church -
second only to Easter in its significance. It was a time of celebrating the "shining forth" or
revelation of God to humanity in the coming of Jesus and our human response in the adoration of
the magi. Over the years, in western Christianity, however, Christmas has become THE
celebration, far outshining Epiphany's light. It's no wonder, after all who doesn't welcome the
coming of a baby and the promise of salvation? But, Epiphany calls us to acknowledge the
uncomfortable truth that God still comes to us in dreams and visions, inviting us to see with new
eyes and hear with new ears. Epiphany demands that we consider the possibility that the stillspeaking
God just may be calling us to the crazy irrationality of setting out on a journey -whose
destination is yet unknown- guided only by starlight and armed only with love.
This week as I was preparing these reflections, I was led to watch again the 1989 move about
an Iowa farmer named Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner. Perhaps you've seen it. It's called
Field of Dreams. Now the part of the story I remembered -the part that most people think of
when they think of this movie- happens in the first 10-15 minutes of the film. Ray is walking
through his corn field and he hears a voice saying "If you build it, he will come." When it's clear
that no one else can hear what he hears, Ray of course thinks he just might be going crazy. But
the voice persists until one day Ray looks out at his cornfield, sees a vision of a baseball diamond
and somehow knows that he is supposed to build this diamond, for a long dead Chicago White Sox
player named Shoeless Joe Jackson. Then, despite the fact that everyone except his wife thinks
he's lost his mind, Ray plows under a huge section of his cornfield and creates a baseball field.
Eventually Shoeless Joe comes, followed shortly by other players whose careers had ended in a
scandal. But, like I said, all that happens in the first 10-15 minutes of the film. The heart of the
film is a journey that takes Ray to New York and then to Minnesota and finally home to the heart
of who he is. Now the thing I think is fascinating about this movie is the fact that each step of the
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\01-07-07 matt 2-1-12.docLast printed 1/24/2007 1:46:00 PM - 2 -
journey is guided only by a few cryptic words which Ray must somehow figure out and trust
enough to follow with no clear understanding of why he's doing what he's doing. But when he
does, his ultimate destination brings him healing and more life than he could have ever imagined
or dreamed was possible.
Trust -trust that the star would lead them to the new king. Trust that it was a journey they
were called to make. Trust in their dreams and visions. Trust in the gifts they had to give. Trust
that the voice was somehow calling him to his highest good. Trust in his discernment of the next
step on the journey. Trust that even his mistakes were somehow part of the whole picture. Trust
another word for faith!
These stories -the journey of the magi and the transformation of a simple farmer in Iowa- are
somehow our stories as well. Individually and as a community of faith I believe that we are guided
by starlight, dreams and visions into the fullness of God's dream for us and for our world, if we will
but listen and see, trust and follow. Each of us must, of course, pay attention to the wisdom of our
own hearts. But the magi did not travel alone and Ray's wife, his daughter and an author named
Terrance Mann, became a community of trusting companions on his journey. So, too, we, in this
community of faith, are called to companion one another as we open our hearts, minds and spirits
to the dreams God has for us. We need to pay attention to new voices and strange ideas. We
need to let our eyes see new possibilities and step beyond what is easy or comfortable or familiar.
We need to trust that the voices calling us to envision a whole new way of being church together
are calling each of us into the fullness of God's dream for our lives. We need to trust that what we
are called to be about will lead us to more life than we could ever possibly dream of or imagine.
When the magi reached Bethlehem, they saw the face of Divine Love, opened their hearts,
gave the gift of their lives and went home by another way -renewed, transformed and ready to
embrace a future only God could see. When we travel by starlight, with eyes and hearts open to
divine dreams and visions, when we dare to give who we are and what we have, we too will go
home by another way -renewed, transformed and ready to embrace a future only God can see.
It's time -perhaps its past time- for us to begin a process of discernment. What is God calling
us to be and do as a community of faith? What are the unique gifts we have to offer the wider
community and the world? We already do a lot. We have a fantastic music ministry, a growing and
vital youth ministry, a first class preschool and SALT groups to nurture our growth. We have
Healing Ministries -Reiki, our Stephen Ministers and our Prayer ministry. We reach out beyond
ourselves through our Foods Resource Bank and our ministry with Daybreak Shelter. Yes, we do a
lot! But if we simply sit back and say "Wow, look at all we've done!" like the magi in Jerusalem, we
will, I believe, have lost sight of the star.
If money were no object -and it truly is not; if we had all the human resources that we need -
and we do who is God calling us to become? What is God inviting us to do? Could it be that we are
to build a Center for Faith, Healing and the Arts, where we youth and adults can explore music,
painting, drama, pottery, dance and the like as spiritual practices? A place where we can offer
Reiki and Counseling -not only for the members of our community, but for those who will never
enter the doors of this sanctuary? Are we called to build a Youth and Family Center, where kids
can come on Friday nights for fun and fellowship, where there is room for a growing number of
youth and lots of activities on our Wednesday night programs? A place where families can come
together for fun activities that strengthen their bonds of love as they grow in faith? Are we called
to add a second worship service that meets the needs of those who cannot come on Sunday
morning? Are we called to widen our welcome and become a place where all people are truly
welcomed -100%- free to express the fullness of their dreams as they find healing for the wounds
of their lives? Are we called to.....? I don't know. These are some of the dreams and visions God
has planted in my heart. What is the still-speaking God saying to you?
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\01-07-07 matt 2-1-12.docLast printed 1/24/2007 1:46:00 PM - 3 -
In the next few months we will be starting a process of discernment and discussion. I hope
that each and every one of you will be part of that process in some way -prayer, action,
conversation, sharing. Each of us is part of the whole, each with gifts to give to the process.
It's Epiphany! A time when we are invited to open our lives to divine dreams and visions, and
begin a star-guided journey into a future only God can see. Will you come? Amen.
Matthew 2:1-12
January 7, 2007 - Epiphany Sunday
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
A number of years ago the owner of a hotel in San Francisco came to the conclusion that the
hotel's single elevator just couldn't handle the traffic. As the hotel staff talked with an architect
they realized that putting in a new elevator would require cutting a hole in every floor, creating
such a mess that it would be necessary to close the hotel during construction. "Well, we'll just
have to close it," the hotel engineer said. "We can't survive without an additional elevator"
A janitor, who happened to be working nearby, overheard the conversation and broke into the
deliberations, saying: "Do you know what I would do?"
"What?" asked the architect, with more than a touch of arrogant disdain.
"Well, sir," the janitor began, "I'd put the elevator on the outside of the building."
The engineer and the architect looked at each other and smiled. For the first time in the
history of architecture, an elevator was built on the outside of a building.
That janitor saw with new eyes, trusted what he saw and risked offering his idea, even in the
face of disdain and disbelief. The engineer and the architect listened to this outsider, grasped his
outlandish vision and dared to try something new. Some might say it was a moment of epiphany -
the dawning of a fresh idea, a flash of insight that led to of a new way of doing things, finding the
missing piece of the puzzle that opens the door to a new reality.
Epiphany -prior to the split between what became the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman
Catholic streams of Christianity- Epiphany was one of the two major festivals of the church -
second only to Easter in its significance. It was a time of celebrating the "shining forth" or
revelation of God to humanity in the coming of Jesus and our human response in the adoration of
the magi. Over the years, in western Christianity, however, Christmas has become THE
celebration, far outshining Epiphany's light. It's no wonder, after all who doesn't welcome the
coming of a baby and the promise of salvation? But, Epiphany calls us to acknowledge the
uncomfortable truth that God still comes to us in dreams and visions, inviting us to see with new
eyes and hear with new ears. Epiphany demands that we consider the possibility that the stillspeaking
God just may be calling us to the crazy irrationality of setting out on a journey -whose
destination is yet unknown- guided only by starlight and armed only with love.
This week as I was preparing these reflections, I was led to watch again the 1989 move about
an Iowa farmer named Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner. Perhaps you've seen it. It's called
Field of Dreams. Now the part of the story I remembered -the part that most people think of
when they think of this movie- happens in the first 10-15 minutes of the film. Ray is walking
through his corn field and he hears a voice saying "If you build it, he will come." When it's clear
that no one else can hear what he hears, Ray of course thinks he just might be going crazy. But
the voice persists until one day Ray looks out at his cornfield, sees a vision of a baseball diamond
and somehow knows that he is supposed to build this diamond, for a long dead Chicago White Sox
player named Shoeless Joe Jackson. Then, despite the fact that everyone except his wife thinks
he's lost his mind, Ray plows under a huge section of his cornfield and creates a baseball field.
Eventually Shoeless Joe comes, followed shortly by other players whose careers had ended in a
scandal. But, like I said, all that happens in the first 10-15 minutes of the film. The heart of the
film is a journey that takes Ray to New York and then to Minnesota and finally home to the heart
of who he is. Now the thing I think is fascinating about this movie is the fact that each step of the
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\01-07-07 matt 2-1-12.docLast printed 1/24/2007 1:46:00 PM - 2 -
journey is guided only by a few cryptic words which Ray must somehow figure out and trust
enough to follow with no clear understanding of why he's doing what he's doing. But when he
does, his ultimate destination brings him healing and more life than he could have ever imagined
or dreamed was possible.
Trust -trust that the star would lead them to the new king. Trust that it was a journey they
were called to make. Trust in their dreams and visions. Trust in the gifts they had to give. Trust
that the voice was somehow calling him to his highest good. Trust in his discernment of the next
step on the journey. Trust that even his mistakes were somehow part of the whole picture. Trust
another word for faith!
These stories -the journey of the magi and the transformation of a simple farmer in Iowa- are
somehow our stories as well. Individually and as a community of faith I believe that we are guided
by starlight, dreams and visions into the fullness of God's dream for us and for our world, if we will
but listen and see, trust and follow. Each of us must, of course, pay attention to the wisdom of our
own hearts. But the magi did not travel alone and Ray's wife, his daughter and an author named
Terrance Mann, became a community of trusting companions on his journey. So, too, we, in this
community of faith, are called to companion one another as we open our hearts, minds and spirits
to the dreams God has for us. We need to pay attention to new voices and strange ideas. We
need to let our eyes see new possibilities and step beyond what is easy or comfortable or familiar.
We need to trust that the voices calling us to envision a whole new way of being church together
are calling each of us into the fullness of God's dream for our lives. We need to trust that what we
are called to be about will lead us to more life than we could ever possibly dream of or imagine.
When the magi reached Bethlehem, they saw the face of Divine Love, opened their hearts,
gave the gift of their lives and went home by another way -renewed, transformed and ready to
embrace a future only God could see. When we travel by starlight, with eyes and hearts open to
divine dreams and visions, when we dare to give who we are and what we have, we too will go
home by another way -renewed, transformed and ready to embrace a future only God can see.
It's time -perhaps its past time- for us to begin a process of discernment. What is God calling
us to be and do as a community of faith? What are the unique gifts we have to offer the wider
community and the world? We already do a lot. We have a fantastic music ministry, a growing and
vital youth ministry, a first class preschool and SALT groups to nurture our growth. We have
Healing Ministries -Reiki, our Stephen Ministers and our Prayer ministry. We reach out beyond
ourselves through our Foods Resource Bank and our ministry with Daybreak Shelter. Yes, we do a
lot! But if we simply sit back and say "Wow, look at all we've done!" like the magi in Jerusalem, we
will, I believe, have lost sight of the star.
If money were no object -and it truly is not; if we had all the human resources that we need -
and we do who is God calling us to become? What is God inviting us to do? Could it be that we are
to build a Center for Faith, Healing and the Arts, where we youth and adults can explore music,
painting, drama, pottery, dance and the like as spiritual practices? A place where we can offer
Reiki and Counseling -not only for the members of our community, but for those who will never
enter the doors of this sanctuary? Are we called to build a Youth and Family Center, where kids
can come on Friday nights for fun and fellowship, where there is room for a growing number of
youth and lots of activities on our Wednesday night programs? A place where families can come
together for fun activities that strengthen their bonds of love as they grow in faith? Are we called
to add a second worship service that meets the needs of those who cannot come on Sunday
morning? Are we called to widen our welcome and become a place where all people are truly
welcomed -100%- free to express the fullness of their dreams as they find healing for the wounds
of their lives? Are we called to.....? I don't know. These are some of the dreams and visions God
has planted in my heart. What is the still-speaking God saying to you?
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\01-07-07 matt 2-1-12.docLast printed 1/24/2007 1:46:00 PM - 3 -
In the next few months we will be starting a process of discernment and discussion. I hope
that each and every one of you will be part of that process in some way -prayer, action,
conversation, sharing. Each of us is part of the whole, each with gifts to give to the process.
It's Epiphany! A time when we are invited to open our lives to divine dreams and visions, and
begin a star-guided journey into a future only God can see. Will you come? Amen.
