Hang On to Your Dreams - Father Dave's Blog

“Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:4-5)

Hi Fighter,

These verses are taken from the climactic scene of one of the Torah’s best-loved narratives – the story of Joseph – which begins with the boy being sold into slavery and ends with him becoming one of the most powerful people in the world.

If you don’t know the story, it’s a long one. It takes up fourteen of Genesis’ fifty chapters (37 to 50). Even so, it’s a ripping yarn, well worth the read, even if it’s not primarily there for the purpose of entertainment.

This week’s Gospel reading includes some of Jesus’ best-known and most radical commands, including “Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27), but you’ll forgive me for not choosing the Gospel for this week’s reflection.

I veered away from it because those commands are given without any clear context. Consequently, we tend to enshrine Jesus’ words in poetry and song rather than connect them to the situations in which we live. The beauty of the Jospeh story is that it fleshes out love of enemies in a context we can connect with.

Jospeh’s brothers were going to kill him until they realised that they could make more money by selling him into slavery (Genesis 37). What was their problem?

The Torah depicts Joseph as an arrogant teenager, full of hopes and dreams that humiliated his ten brothers. Moreover, the other boys were only his half-brothers.

Joseph was Jacob’s only son to Rachel at that stage, the others being born to Jacob’s other three partners. Their dad clearly loved Joseph more than his other children, just as he loved Joseph’s mother more than the other women, and we’re told that Joseph was “the child of his old age” (Genesis 37:3). It was a complicated family, replete with favouritism, jealousy, rivalry and sibling violence.

The fascinating thing about this story, from my perspective, is the way God interacts with Joseph. It all happens through dreams. Joseph starts out dreaming of his own greatness, and, at other key points, he engages with other people’s dreams, and he interprets those dreams, consistently finding in them messages from God.

Jospeh is not like other classical Biblical heroes who talk directly with God or even wrestle with God. With Jospeh, his connection is less direct and more ambiguous. This resonates with me. It’s not always obvious when God is trying to communicate. Nor is it always obvious what is being communicated. Over time, Joseph becomes expert at discerning what God is trying to say through dreams, and this takes him great places, helps him make sense of his life, and leads him to forgive his brothers.

The story of Joseph is, quite literally, a rise from zero to hero, and it’s not as if it’s a constant upward trajectory either. After rising steadily in rank amongst the enslaved, Joseph is suddenly thrown into prison, finding himself even further down the social ladder than when he was first sold! And while it’s not appropriate to psychologise too much about these characters, you have to wonder what keeps someone like that going. My guess is that Joseph clung to his dreams.

Joseph’s whole life was built around dreaming. His brothers hated him for his dreams, but it was dreaming that eventually connected him with the Pharoah of Egypt, and dreaming that saved an entire generation of people struck by famine. My guess is that Joseph kept going back to his old dreams during the dark years – nurturing his dreams, reflecting on them, and re-dreaming them.

I have lots of dreams. I have dreams of reconciliation happening within my own family. I have dreams of a resurrected Syria. I dream of peace between Israel, Palestine, and the rest of the world. In some ways these dreams are about as realistic as Joseph dreaming of his own greatness while rotting in prison. Even so, Joseph didn’t stop dreaming and neither will I. Neither should you.

I’m reminded of the immortal words of the great Dom Helder Camara: “When one person dreams, it is just a dream, but when we all dream together it’s the beginning of a new reality”.

Our Sunday Eucharist

We celebrated another wonder Sunday Eucharist last weekend with an unprecedented four people on the panel! Thank you to Andrew Logan, Karyn Hemming and Diane Bates for your wonderful input, and thank you to everyone who contributed through Facebook and YouTube.

As per usual, I’ve included this week’s two most popular ‘shorts’ from last weekend’s recording. you can view the full collection on the Sunday Eucharist Instagram page or access the full video archive via my YouTube channel.

This Sunday I’m looking forward to having my old friends, Andrew Madry and Doug Pyeatt, back with me on the panel. We don’t have any pre-recorded commentator at this stage so if you know someone whom you think would be good, let me know. We are in the market for a few extra expert commentators on The Sunday Eucharist.

Join us at midday this Sunday via TheSundayEucharist.com or Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia or Streamyard. I do look forward to being back and sharing this Eucharist with you. 😊

Let me work your corner

If you’d like to see my work continue, please click here to make a one-off donation, or, if you can afford a monthly contribution, sign up at Patreon.com and choose from:

Middleweight – $10/month (community mentoring)

Enrol in the Fighting Fit training program
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Super-Middleweight $50/month (remote mentoring)

All of the above +
One-on-one mentoring via email, phone, or Skype

Heavyweight – $100/month (in-person mentoring)

All of the above +
Training with Father Dave’s Old School Boxing Academy

Superheavyweight – $200/month (intensive in-person mentoring)

All of the above +
One weekend per month at Binacrombi Bush Camp.

Every dollar helps keep the wheels turning – the websites, the newsletters, the broadcasts, the boxing club and the bush camp. Sign up at Patreon.com.

What’s On?

Sunday, February 23 – Our Eucharist from midday @thesundayeucharist.com (and Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia or Streamyard).
Tuesday, February 25 – Boxing at The Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm.
Thursday, February 27 – Boxing at The Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm
Friday, Feb 28 to Sunday, March 2– @Binacrombi. Please join me.

I’m concluding this week’s newsletter while in the air, flying back to Sydney. Joy and I have had three magical nights together on the Gold Coast. It was a wonderful birthday gift, and one of my best-ever short holidays. 😊

One highlight of our time away was attending the show at Dracula’s last Wednesday evening. Not only was it a great meal and great show but afterwards, when we went to get a photo with the cast, the lead performer suddenly said, “Hey! Your name isn’t Dave, is it?” This amazing artist had been one of my boxing students 20 years ago!

So … a special shoutout to Tomi. I taught him to box when he was a teenager being picked on at school. Now he’s a star in the entertainment industry! I was so impressed! And then he called me up the next day to invite me to a boxing session!

OK. It turns out his boxing skills aren’t quite up to the same level yet as his singing, guitar-playing, acting and stage-performing, but he seems to me to be on a trajectory much like Joseph. God only knows where his dreams will take him! 😊

Finally, a big thank you to everyone who attended my birthday dinner last Monday. I had a wonderful time. I know there were others would have liked to have been there, but I was very thankful for those who did make it. It’s a wonderful privilege to know so many wonderful people. 😊❤️.

OK … it’s time for me to sober up and get back to work. God knows there’s plenty to be done. Even so, according to the Torah, even God rests, and we need these times of relaxation and celebration if we are going to be fit for battle.

Keep praying for me as I do for you. 🙏❤️

Your brother in the Good Fight,