Dream On

Understanding our dreams

by Brian Radcliffe

Suitable for Whole School (Sec)

Aims

To encourage us to consider what our dreams might mean.

Preparation and materials

• The stories of Joseph’s dreams are found in Matthew 1.18-25, 2.13-15, 2.19-21 and 2.22-23.

Assembly

1. Explain that today’s assembly is going to consider dreams.
   
   Ask the students, ‘Has anyone had an interesting dream recently?’
   
   It might be a vivid dream, a mysterious dream, a reassuring dream or a confusing dream. As the song says, ‘Any dream will do’!
   
   Pause to allow time for discussion.
   
   
2. Point out that dreams can be confusing experiences. Experts say that they are the brain’s way of reorganizing itself, a bit like installing an update on our smartphone.
   
   Dreams can be initiated by various stimuli. Sometimes, they’re a jumble of what we’ve recently been watching, playing or reading. We find ourselves in the story, but it’s often a weird version of it. It’s rare that we simply relive the story. In other dreams, we go over the events of the preceding day. Some even say that eating cheese late at night can cause strange dreams!
   
   Dreams can be caused by our longings. We want to be somewhere else, with someone else, doing something else, so we drift into a fantasy land of dreams. Maybe that happens with some students during a lesson!
   
   Of course, the worst dreams are those that we term nightmares. Our fears and phobias rise, drawing us into what can be frightening scenarios. For some reason, it’s not unusual for us to find ourselves in an awkward situation in a dream. For example, a common type of dream is to find ourselves in a public place . . . without our clothes!
   
   
3. The Bible is full of people who have dreams. One of these is a man who appears in the background to an important narrative. I’m talking about Joseph, Mary’s husband and Jesus’ stepfather. He has four dreams, most of which consist of an angel coming to him with an instruction.
   
   In his first dream, Joseph is told that, even though Mary is pregnant and he knows that he’s not the baby’s father, he should marry Mary. Joseph is even told the sex of the baby and the name that the baby is to be given.
   
   Joseph’s second dream occurs after Jesus’ birth. Joseph is warned that the baby is at risk because of the child killings that King Herod has authorized. Joseph is told to take his wife and child to a safe place in another country.
   
   In Joseph’s third dream, which takes place after King Herod has died, Joseph is told that it’s now safe to return to Israel.
   
   Joseph’s final dream tells him of the exact town and province in which they should live. So, Nazareth was where Jesus grew up.

Time for reflection

Ask the students, ‘What effect do our dreams have on us?’

Sometimes, they can leave us disturbed. Sometimes, they can enable us to wake up full of life, hope and expectation.

Joseph’s dreams gave him information about what to do next in the life of his family. Our dreams can only work with whatever’s going on in our brains already. Joseph was probably worrying about the unstable situation in his homeland. He was certainly worried about the safety of his wife and child. His brain reset was the chance for God to speak into that situation with clarity. Joseph knew what to do next.

So, where does that leave us with our dreams? It’s important that we assess how our dreams make us feel.

Do we wake relaxed and energized? That’s good. Enjoy the aftertaste of the dream.

Do we wake in a panic, feeling confused and out of control? If so, we need to stop for a moment and ask ourselves, ‘What am I worried about? What can I do to resolve my worries?’ Let the dream lead us to constructive action.

If, however, we find ourselves suffering from recurring nightmares, maybe it’s a trigger for us to talk to someone we trust, someone who has the maturity and skills to help us tackle the root cause.

Of course, there is one further purpose to a dream, as in the ones that Joseph experienced. Maybe someone’s trying to give us some advice. If so, listen carefully.

Song/music

‘Any dream will do’ from the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, available at: https://youtu.be/0wAs3sTAFJ4 (2.43 minutes long).

Extension activity

1. Encourage the students to keep a dream diary for the next week. Remind them to keep something near their bed that they can use to record the dream as soon as they wake. Many dreams are forgotten within minutes of waking up.