"And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down... Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4

The Scripture in question is Isaiah's dream for Israel, the Gentiles and the world. I like to think it's my dream too.

I dream about sitting in my library, relaxing in my favorite upholstered chair - looking out at the snow-covered back yard as the flakes gently fall, and I quietly sip from my extra-large, piping hot mug of premium, home-made hot chocolate. It’s creamy and frothy and made from chocolate nibs imported from Spain, and I savor every sip, from the lip burning first to the lukewarm last.

And my dream is this: I want to sip that hot chocolate knowing that there’s not a man or a woman on the face of the earth who can’t have the same hot chocolate. I want to savor that hot cocoa with the peace of mind of knowing that there’s not a sick person in the world who has been forgotten, unable to receive life-giving medicine, and who has easy access to affordable, high quality medical care.

I want to enjoy that hot chocolate knowing that every innocent civilian living in war zones where bombs are dropping, bullets are flying and terrorists are threatening every minute of their lives. I want to know that these innocent families have been whisked away to an oasis where their doors can go unlocked, their pantries are full, and their children merrily prance through deep green meadows.

I want to sip that hot cocoa knowing that every stray animal has a loving place to call home - where the violence of abusive caretakers is no more, where a place to sleep is no longer found on the mean streets, and where the threat of being impounded or worse, has vanished.

I want to savor that toasty mug of hot chocolate knowing that there is not a parched tongue in Haiti - that there is not a re-built building that can ever tumble again - that there is not an orphaned child who has not been vaccinated, educated, ice-creamed, and bed-time kissed before she lays her head down on clean, crisp, cotton sheets for the night. (Peter Laarman)

And I want to know all of this with such assurance that for the time it takes me to drink my hot chocolate I don’t need to have a thought about anything or anyone except the cooling mug in my warm hand and the person with whom I’ve chosen to enjoy it.

The 'already but not yet' of Isaiah's (and my!) dream has seen its fruition in Jesus, but it looks for its fulfillment in you and me.
What are we doing to make our dreams come true?

Reading
Advanced Strategic Planning - Aubrey Malphurs
How (Not) to Speak to God - Peter Rollins
A Letter of Consolation - Henri Nouwen