The question was once asked of a highly successful businessman, “How have you done so much in your lifetime?”

He replied, “I dream. You see, I turned my mind loose to imagine what I wanted to do. Then I went to bed and thought about my dreams. In the night, I dreamt about my dreams. And when I rose in the morning, I saw the way to make my dreams real. While other people were saying, ‘You can’t do that; it isn’t possible,’ I was well on my way to achieve what I wanted.”

As Woodrow Wilson, twenty-eighth president of the United States, said: “We grow great by dreams. All big [people] are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red glow of a fireplace on a long winter’s evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them—nourish them through bad days until they bring them to the sunshine and light that always comes to those who sincerely hope their dreams will come true.”

So please, don’t let anyone steal your dreams or try to tell you they are impossible.

We have in today’s gospel reading the biblical account of what is known as the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. It’s obviously something outside of ordinary human experience. Human beings generally don’t become intensely white and glow like a nuclear explosion. Figures who have long-since been dead don’t normally appear in order to have a chat. And if someone tells us that they’re hearing voices, we might suggest that they see a psychiatrist.

In this passage, the overwhelming sense of suddenly being in the twilight zone hits Peter, and he starts babbling. Wow, Lord, it’s great to be here. Let me set up some tents for you and the two dead guys, and we can all gather around the fire and sing camp songs.

But that’s not it, really, is it? When God’s voice is heard in the presence of obvious power and beauty that goes beyond, transcending normal human experience—God has their attention, doesn’t he?

So what are we to learn from this powerful scripture passage? I believe it starts with what the Apostles hear: This is my beloved Son; listen to him. He’s going to share my dream with you, my dream for what can be if you truly listen. Do you want to teach the world—to love the world—to heal the world—to restore the world—the world I dreamed of from the first moment of creation? If you do, then listen. Listen as Jesus shares my dream with you.

What is this dream? We find it in the Lord’s Prayer: thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. We find a description of what this kingdom should look like in Jesus’ teaching:

         Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

         Blessed are the meek, the merciful, those who are mourning, those who hunger and thirst for justice.

         Humility, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, justice, peace, taking care of the poor and the oppressed—these are God’s dream for the world.

We learn about God’s dream when Jesus teaches about how our lives will be judged: I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was ill or in prison, and you came to me. These are God’s dreams for the world.

We learn about God’s dream when Jesus goes beyond the letter of the law. You had been told in the past: love your neighbor, your fellow countrymen, those who look and act like you. But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for your persecutors. Do good, even to those who hate you. Forgive, as I have forgiven you. These are God’s dreams for the world.

We learn about God’s dream from the way Jesus broke down barriers. He dared to touch ten lepers and heal them. It didn’t matter that one of them was a hated Samaritan. As a matter of fact, he was the only one who expressed his gratitude, the only one who said thank you for being restored. Jesus healed the heart and soul of the Samaritan woman at the well. He told a story about a man who was beaten and left, half-dead, in a ditch. Who was the only one who stopped to take care of him? A Samaritan, the true neighbor, the only one who showed compassion.

We learn, most of all, from the way Jesus acted. At a very powerful, teachable moment, for example, when he was dying on the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what to do.”

Jesus’ way was one of inclusion, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, justice, peace, and support for outcasts, those living in poverty, and those with no voice. Much of our world seems to revolve around exclusion, cruelty, judgmentalism, violence, support for the wealthy, and making life miserable for those with little capacity to defend themselves.

So, the question raised by our gospel today has very practical consequences. Do we want to teach the world that there is a better way? Do we want to heal our suffering world? Do we want to restore what has been lost? In short, do we want to share in God’s dream, praying that “thy kingdom come, thy will be done?” If so, God’s voice is clear: Listen to him. Listen.