The Dream of God

Stemming from the notion that the word "will", specifically at least as seen in the "Lord's Prayer", could also be interpreted as wish, McLaren takes it a step further and presents the idea of the Kingdom of God as being The Dream of God.

It's difficult to really understand the complexities, the intricacies of kingdom (earthly) relationships as none of us, unless there are readers I'm not aware of, have ever lived in a real kingdom. So, we look to other aspects of life, of experience to find correlations or other metaphors which could help us grasp the depth that Jesus speaks of as the Kingdom.

Jesus prayed, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." McLaren suggests that this, in this dream metaphor, could be rendered "May all your dreams for your creation come true." Maybe it's because this was the first time I've heard or read that. Or maybe it's because the idea of God's dream is more tangible, more real for me than the full idea of a kingdom. Whatever it is, this notion is very appealing to me.

Brian goes on...

This language suggests a more personal, less mechanistic relationship between God and our world. It would resonate...with a mother who has great dreams for her child, or a coach who has great dreams for her team, or an artist who has great dreams for a novel or painting or symphony he is creating, or a teacher who has high dreams for his students. (p141)

This really makes me stop and think. I can imagine God conceiving of the idea to create and having an ultimate dream...an ultimate desire for His creation. I can imagine how sin and its poisonous fruits must be the biggest, ugliest nightmares to Him as He longs for wholeness, completeness, purity.

I'm a dreamer. Looking back, I always have been. But I am forced, by a metaphor such as this, to think hard about whether or not my big dreams are really in line with God's. Am I becoming the man he dreamed, desired for me to be...thinking about everything (my relationship with Him, relationships within my family, my work, my play, my rest, my finances, my blog, really everything)? This gives me some serious motivation to evaluate my life knowing that in God's larger, overarching dream, or desire, for His creation He has given me a part to play. It's my choice, daily, whether or not I will give myself to seeing as much of that dream realized as I can or if I will just be another contribution to the seemingly intensifying nightmare that creation is providing its Creator.

Side note: I finished this book but don't want to discuss it too much (yet). I really want you guys to pick this book up and work through it (there's even a discussion guide available online at the author's website). It's hugely valuable as we consider our identity in Christ. I don't want to spoil it by blogging about it. Pick up a copy for yourself!