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It is for good reason that Jesus teaches his disciples not to be fixated on the future. “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Nevertheless, while we are counseled not to worry about tomorrow, throughout the Bible we are urged to imagine it. What is hope, other than the confident contemplation of what lies ahead?

I have a lot of friends who, along with me, are ricocheting between dream and dread. The focus is specific, since we are all caught in the confused state of the same Presbyterian denomination.

We dread that a denomination already weakened by internal defection from orthodoxy will be further weakened by departure from those who have had enough.

We dread that the trickle of heretical statements and actions might become a torrent.

We dread that we may lose the freedom to carry out our ministries without having, at least implicitly if not explicitly, to endorse beliefs and behaviors we cannot tolerate.

Yet among those who are considering bailing out, we dread that any new entity to which we might run may be too small to be effective, or too narrow and restrictive, or (always a possibility among sinners) that we may import to the new body the same virus we are trying to shake off.

On the other hand, we dream:
– of being free from internal battles in order to fight worthy battles, such as contending in this world for the truth of the gospel.

– of sharing a common faith and speaking to the world with a single voice.

– of the camaraderie and support of a tightly knit ministry team.

Returning to dread, we dread that we are only dreamers, that finding or creating a large, unified, sound denomination is unattainable.

And we dread that the cost of leaving the old entity will be too high: fractured congregations, loss of momentum, diminished resources.

Yet we dream that pursuing the dream is the path of faithfulness and will prosper in the end.

There you have it: living between dream and dread. We’re praying hard, we’re listening for every whisper from the Holy Spirit, and we’re walking by faith.

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