To those gathered in a room on the Day of Pentecost, Peter announces the inauguration of a new age, a transition marked by a mighty wind, by tongues of fire, and most important, by the gift of the Spirit. Peter promises that the Spirit will provide gifts of prophecy, dreams, and visions for all people. Though he does not describe the nature of the prophetic message, surely the Spirit will inspire dreams that align with the ministry of Jesus and visions that reflect the possibility of a world in which God’s love pervades every human interaction.

Prophetic dreams and visions are not future gifts. They are gifts for here and now. Not a once-and-for-all event in the room in Jerusalem, the Spirit comes again to the community in every age, inspiring visions that propose how current realities can be transformed by God through us. They do not project some distant reality; dreams and visions are exercises in truth-telling. They name where relationships and institutions fall short of the example of Jesus, and they call us to new fidelity to the gospel of love.

With gratitude for their counsel, I witness prophetic truth-tellers frequently. I see on television a young woman barely in her teens who takes on heads of state as she describes the devastation of our planet and demands change. A colleague calls me from my place of privilege as he tells of his harrowing journey as a teenager from Somalia to Minnesota, and then names the needs of the immigrant community in our city. I read an article from the pastor of my church in which he reminds me that in spite of what is happening around us, we are at once waiting and working for a world transformed.