I have this dream. No,
my friends, it is not the empowering dream that Martin Luther King Jr
envisioned, but I do feel like this dream is trying to tell me something. It is
a dream that hits so close to home that it cannot be ignored. It is a dream
that taunts me when making crucial decisions and haunts me when I am not sure
what to do. And it is this dream that makes me step back, think about my
mission, and ponder what God wants me to do next.

 In this dream, I am in
downtown Denver and making my way to Mile High Stadium. I am enjoying the
sunshine, embracing the outdoors, and happy to be around others who call this
city home. My privileged life has allowed me tickets to a Broncos game, and I
am looking forward to seeing some friends and celebrating the day. But as I
reach the underpass that leads me to the stadium, leave the comforting light of
the sun, and enter that darkened unknown, I become afraid of what I might find.

My dream does not
necessarily lead me into something scary, but it does change the course of the
day. What I encounter, as I travel under the interstate, is not something I am
used to seeing. The fresh air is replaced by an aura of despair, stench, and
hard luck. It is a village rooted in survival, where the occupants just want to
stay warm, be fed, and left alone. And as I walk, briskly, through this
uncomfortable scenario, I avoid eye contact and try to get through as fast as
possible.

But my dream does not
allow me to rush through this village without an encounter. As I get close to
the other side of the underpass, I pass by a gentleman who is hunched over and
wrapped in a blanket. Whatever grotesque thing growing from his back has been
covered, and it becomes apparent that he does not want me to see what is
underneath. But as I try to pass, he stops me, for just a second, and says to
me, “Brother, please do not forget what you have seen here.”

I thought about this
statement, for a few moments, but as I reached the other side and was embraced
by that glorious sunshine again, those words drifted into the wind like they
had never been spoken. But it did not take long for that statement to enter my
mind again. And as I got closer to Mile High and started to embrace the
excitement, something kept calling me back to that desperate village under the
interstate.

As I lie in bed, and
ponder what this dream means, I should know God would have a message for me.
Because before I can wake up and forget about this fictitious tale, I see a
vendor who is selling hot dogs for a dollar a piece. I am sure it is divine
intervention, but I cannot help but purchase 20 hot dogs and take them back to
that village I so quickly tried to escape. I approach the man, who is hunched
over and draped with his blanket, and I offer him one of the hot dogs I have
just purchased. I ask him to take the rest of the hot dogs to his “family” and
to make sure everyone gets one. I do not get much response, but he takes them
from me, and I turn around to make my way back to the stadium.

But before I can leave
the underpass, an amazing light shines brighter than the sun. I turn my head to
see where it is coming from, and my warped perspective of a hunchbacked
homeless man, is replaced by the sight of a glorious angel with wings so big, I
am amazed at how the blanket could keep them under wraps. And this “village”
that I had denounced as a homeless wasteland, was transformed into a beautiful
choir of angels playing music about sacrifice, thankfulness, and humility. No,
my friends, this was not the empowering “dream” that Martin Luther King Jr.
envisioned, but it was a dream with a powerful lesson that could not be
ignored.

As we enjoy this
Advent season, try to think about the statement that was pronounced above.
“Please do not forget what you have seen here.” We will witness many events in
this life. We will have the chance to make choices and decisions in different
situations. We will have opportunities to be grateful, forgiving, and
sacrificial. And we will have opportunities that will either sour our
perspectives about certain things in this life or enhance our perspectives
about how good this life can truly be.

“Please do not forget
what you have seen here.” How many times have we missed the opportunity to
“see” what God wants to show us? How many times have we missed the chance to
help someone in need? And how many times have we ignored the call to be God’s
disciple and bring another closer to Him? Keep your eyes open, soften your
heart, and make sure you capture every opportunity to see God’s angels in
action. You never know where those wings may be hiding!

“For I was hungry and
you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I
was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25: 35-36