At the church I attend we are in a period of seeking God – shouldn’t we always! As it happens our verse for the year states this theme. It is found in 1 Chronicles 16.11 and can also be found in Psalm 105.4. This verse and the surrounding verses are very clear it is something we need to do.
We had a session where we met to worship and pray. It was good to come aside and do this and put our own agendas aside. Something wasn’t quite right with me and I couldn’t put my finger on it but I persevered in the event. It wasn’t until the following morning that I realised that the nagging feeling I had was a recurrence of what I have written about before (see this post). It seems to be a theme that the Lord is getting my attention about.
This feeling was expressed in this manner through the following dream. A pattern seems to emerge again through it.
The reason why I write this is to encourage those of you wherever you may be and whatever situation you are in – particularly related to being part of church life. If you follow Jesus you are part of something bigger. Our visiting speaker a day after the dream spoke about the feeling of inferiority within the body of Christ that we may feel. The sermon was on 1 Corinthians 12.12 – 31 and if you want to listen to it can be found here it’s around 20 minutes.
I was watching events in a harbour with the royal yacht Britannia in the bay from afar. There was lots of activity on the boat yet it was covered with water in places. Someone came and tested the water with their tongue someone called Gwen. I also remember seeing a royal from afar and someone said “Oh that’s Prince Charles”. I screwed up my eyes and said “I don’t think so that’s another royal who looks like him”.
Next thing I was with the British Royal Family. I did not not know etiquette so felt awkward. The royals all sat in a small room in a circle. I curtsied to Prince Phillip! I was told to do something else. I ended up sitting next to the Queen on one side and the Queen Mother on the other. The Queen was very chatty and welcoming making me feel at ease.
We all then got up and went to another room where there was a meal laid out. I followed the Queen. They all took their places I was about to sit but the Queen took my place. All the places were taken apart from a royal stool which was higher than all the others seats. I had to sit on it. It was next to someone else who I can’t recall. I was making jokes about sitting up high and they were groaning and saying we’ve not heard that one before (said ironically).
The food came out I started to eat and ate the wrong plate of food; a vegetable dish, whilst everyone else ate big chunks of meat.
I also started talking about the Royal Yacht Britannia and my observations. The whole table went uncomfortably silent as if I’d said something wrong. The silence was broken with a comment about we don’t talk about that.
There was a reason why I’d been invited but I can’t remember it. I do remember feeling very uncomfortable and out of place.
I think the point of the dream is, although you feel out of place in this Royal Family, which represents the church, you are part of it and accepted with your differences and comments that you make. At one point you are even raised up which is both embarrassing and honouring at the same time. Humility is required.
What does this mean? The dream is exploring the concept of humility at the same time as demonstrating being part of a family. Not just any family but a special royal family. That in itself is something to get excited about.
1 Peter 5:5–7 (LEB): In the same way, younger men, be subject to the elders, and all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the right time, casting all your cares on him, because ⌊he cares⌋ for you.
Jesus humbled himself and made himself lower through the incarnation. As the one who is King he knows both being high born and lowly or humble in this state of incarnation.
1 Peter 5:5 (Faithlife Study Bible): Speaking now to all believers, Peter draws on the Septuagint (ancient Greek Old Testament) version of Prov 3:34 to stress the importance of humility in the Christian community. The New Testament frequently exhorts believers to cultivate an attitude of humility (e.g., Eph 4:2; Phil 2:3; Col 3:12; 1 Pet 3:8).
Ephesians 4:1–3 (LEB): Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to live in a manner worthy of the calling with which you were called: with all humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love, being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace;
Philippians 2 : 3– 11 (LEB): Do nothing according to selfish ambition or according to empty conceit, but in humility considering one another better than yourselves, each of you not looking out for ⌊your own interests⌋, but also each of you for ⌊the interests⌋ of others. Think this in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God something to be grasped, but emptied himself by* taking the form of a slave, by* becoming in the likeness of people. And being found in appearance like a man, he humbled himself by* becoming obedient to the point of death, that is, death on a cross. Therefore also God exalted him and graciously granted him the name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
There’s a challenge, the whole idea of emptying ourselves for Jesus. This is not really possibly without the power of the Spirit.
Not what I want…
Back to the dream. As I considered Britannia I looked up its etymology. The word comes from Britain or Briton. It was related to Wales or Pretani meaning ‘tattooed people’. Marked people in other words. Ironic as the song Rule Britannia, says Britons never shall be slaves! Those who are part of the royal family, the priesthood of believers are a marked people.
A funny or peculiar thing occurs in the dream where Gwen licks the water. Gwen means light and as the water was sea water it would have been salty. She was testing it for its saltiness. This little aside demonstrates the difference that we are as the priesthood of believers. We are salt and we are light.
The mission of Jesus is to demonstrate how different his kingdom is to the kingdoms of the world. I was thinking of blessed are the meek from the sermon on The Mount. As a Bible Scholar pointed out this Mount is a symbol of Eden. Eden was how the world was meant to be. The fact that to be meek is synonymous with humility and that those who are meek will inherit the earth or land. (Also Psalm 37.11 In the Lexham Bible translation it says afflicted instead of meek). That word humility has its roots in humus as do the roots that occur in the land! Those of us who love this earth, this land, will no longer just be tenants or caretakers of it but actually joint owners.
Matthew 11:29 (LEB): Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls
In Christ we are included in the family of God – the royal priesthood, with all our differences and weaknesses. We are accepted into that family.
It does seem that one can’t say that they’re humble. Other people can say it. (Prov 27.2). This is the irony of humility. We can see this in another Bible story. A narrator states it in the book of Numbers about Moses. Moses doesn’t say it about himself – a sign of a good leader. Yet we can humble ourselves and identify with Moses, Jesus and the royal priesthood of which Peter speaks of.