dream to go 10 - dare to dream small dreams

God is a small group. Father, son and Holy Spirit. Trinity.

God is a small group. God is relationship. God is community. God is love.

But God is not a clique. God moves breaks out of any cosy comfort zone, to invite others to be part of the relationship. To welcome outsiders into the group. To pay the highest price imaginable in removing all barriers keeping us from joining in.

Now here’s a thing. I was created “in the image of God”. And that’s something about me that is pretty amazing. I look like God! Richard White, with his zits, buck teeth, depression, anger, lust and grumpiness still looks like God!

I really want to look more and more like God though. Which means that I probably need to expect to be part of small groups that look like God. Little gatherings of images of God who with their irritations and envy, still look like God. Little groups that are learning relationship, community and love. Little groups that are working to not be cliques, but to break out of any comfort zone to invite outsiders in. To pay high prices to remove all barriers that keep others out.

One of Dream’s core values is that we seek to be relational. To build community rather than just run events. There are now six little dream groups who meet weekly or fortnightly. Having visited most of them, I can tell you that they aren’t very impressive! If you have any illusions about cool people coming together with deep insights and unconditional love, forget it. These are ordinary, sometimes boring people, like me, with hang ups and hard edges. But they look like God. And they do that all the more as they stick together and work at building trust, caring for each other and reaching outside themselves.

If you’re part of one of those groups, keep reminding yourself how precious that is. And don’t settle for comfort or ruts. Keep longing for more.

If you aren’t then why not start a new one? Dream a small dream. You could take turns to tell your own story and to listen attentively. Or take one prayer station from a recent ‘service’ and unpack it together. Or do the Dream Lectio journey together. Or take it in turns to bring some simple creative thing for the group. Find two others who’ll give it a go and become the beginnings of an image of God who is trinity