“I have a dream…” Four little, simple words. But with those words, Martin Luther King Jr ushered in hope – hope of change. And these words resonate throughout the 55 or so years since he spoke them.

 I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal …

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream!

(MLK Jr, 1963)

This was MLK’s vision of a possible future – an ideal – a vision of breaking down of divisions that existed. He may not have seen it in his day, nor has it perhaps been completely fulfilled yet, but his vision started to bring about a new reality – a breaking down of racial divides in America and beyond.

As in MLK’s time, one of the big questions of our generation is “who is in and who is out?”. We can see in everyday groupings around school – who is in my friendship group, who is out? Who is in with the “in” crowd, who is not. We se it so much wider when we look globally: economic and trade regulations seem to be designed to favour some (who tend to be the wealthy) and disempower others (who tend to live in developing countries or are financially struggling). We see it in the recent election with political conversations are being drawn in partisan ways with clear lines indicating who is on which side – and woe betide those who try to cross those lines. And it’s not just in politics – Religious communities and other power structures, equally, have tended to focus on who is with us and who is against us. From geographical to economic to political to religious to racial to sexual to generational lines, our world is built on defining who is in and who is out.

We know this is not a new problem – in one form or another it is here today, it was there last century in America, and it was there in the early church.

Today’s bible readings come together to address these concerns of those who are in and those who are out – utilising dreams and visions, songs and actions. And they not only consider these issues of inclusivity, but they lead us to examine how we go about addressing them.

Let’s start with the Gospel of John, as we see the Easter message shift over the last few weeks. Today we build on Jesus’ offer of new life to us, and examine how we live out that life as we follow him. What we didn’t hear in today’s reading was what preceded his message – that Jesus served his disciples by washing their feet and sharing a meal, knowing as he did so that he was serving even those who would deny and betray and abandon him.

In Jesus’ message and his action, we discover a startling message of inclusivity and love. Jesus’ new commandment is frequently sung and quoted, but the “one another” that Jesus’ calls us to love often seems directed to those near and dear to us. Now, in our readings today, as the Gospel is heard with the other readings, we realise that this “one another” goes much further.

In Acts, Peters dream of what is clean and unclean broke down the walls and the legalism that separated Jewish believers from non-Jewish believers. Peter, through his actions in eating with Cornelius and his household, bridged a divide that was tearing apart the early Church, helping believers to see that all can be included in God’s kingdom.

In the Psalm, all of creation – all of God’s kingdom join in praise of the one who not only created them, but who holds them close to his heart. All of creation, plants and animals, the earth and the heavenly bodies, all the inhabitants of earth gather in praise of the One who is with them – and in so doing all of them become included in this gathering of “one another” that we are to love.

And finally, in John’s Revelation vision, we discover that God so includes all, that God moves God’s dwelling place (“heaven”) into our earthly home. He makes all our relationships, and especially our broken relationships new. There can be no greater, all-encompassing statement of love for all of earth from God.

So how do we hear those promises, those dreams and visions today? Do we see them as some far distant future of the end times? Or might we get glimpses of these visions becoming true even now? You see, these visions of Revelation are not just about hope at the end of times – there is a “now” to the “not yet” element of these visions. This text tells us about a God who is drawing near to us, right here, right now – it is telling us of a God who is Alpha and Omega – who has been with us from the very beginning and will be with us until the very end, and who will be with us all those times in between. And as our God draws closer to us, as his love pours out on us, it starts to make changes – even if that future is not fully fulfilled just yet.

So, what does this mean for us? What is our dream for today?

I dream that our community is a community that lives in the reality of the resurrection, a community that lives in God’s love, a community that recognises the presence of a God who lives among us. I see in us a community that blurs every line, that invites everyone into the grace and love of God. I see a community that challenges the lines that exclude and oppress.

I see a community who is called to be those who will reach across the lines to welcome and embrace those who believe differently, who think differently, who dress, behave and live in ways that we would consider different.

I dream of a community where all God’s creation experience his boundless love, I dream of a community who truly lives out their call to love and serve one another, whoever that other may be.

So, as you live out the dream, know that the peace and love of God which surpasses all human understanding with guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen.