Dragons Hate to Be Discrete

February 9, 2003

Adapted from a children’s book by the same name

Lone Jensen

We are about to meet at least one dragon. So friends, children, adults and those who are children at heart, let us leave whatever dragons we manage to conjure up here, let us leave them behind when the service is done. And only have friendly dragons later at our coffee hour and New Member reception.  This is a sermon and a story in three parts. And if this is going to work all of you have to pay close attention and really listen. Or we will have no dragons today!

This is the first part.

This story is about a little girl named Margaret. Just for now imagine that I am her!

Inside this church is a dragon! That is right a dragon! But don’t worry. She won’t bite unless I tell him to. And I promise I won’t tell her to bite you! Just remember to stand back when she breathes fire. Except when she is breathing fire she isn’t even too dangerous.  You probably wonder how I got her. Well, I didn’t get her she got me!

Anyhow now we’ve got each other.

Most of the time my dragon is invisible to most people. Oh, she is not a fake, made up or pretend dragon, but my dragon you see can make herself into any kind of shape and stay that way for as long as she likes.  Even my mother sometimes for gets she is around. But she always is …wound around a chair…hiding near the tree… behind the pulpit appearing to be part of the furniture…waiting…waiting for the right moment. But when is the right moment?

 Well just listen and watch. This is one such moment:  One day we are having breakfast at my house and I am annoyed because we have run out of the only kind of cereal I like. My dad is annoyed because he is reading the newspaper. The paper always annoys him, which must be why he reads it. My mom is mad because she is fixing us breakfast and no- one is helping her and the cat has just clawed a hole in her stocking. She says several of those words you are not supposed to say especially in front of children and glares at the cat. I giggle. Some joke! My mom says. Even the cat is in a crummy mood, I say. What do you mean even the cat? Dad says. Oh, Nothing. I say. My dad opens up his newspaper. His paper knocks over my glass of milk and it spills all over the table. The cat jumps up to lick the milk. My mom groans. My dad says some more of those words you are not supposed to say very fast. Since it isn’t my fault I find it funny. Margaret my mother says: get the cat off of the table and stop it! That was no place for your milk! My dad says. That was no place for your newspaper! I say. Do what your mother tells you or leave the table! My dad shouts. I sit down and lean back it doesn’t matter: The right moment has arrived.

My dragon has been waiting…posing as part of the carpet. Now with a roar and a screech he leaps up and onto the chandelier breathing fire… It is wonderful! Those green scales, oh look at them, those red with gold tipped wings, the jet black smoke! I love my dragon!  Do something! My mom says. Margaret do be reasonable! Says my dad. There is a blast of heat and dragon laughter from above. Lots of oily black smoke comes from my dragon. Pieces of plaster from the ceiling are raining down on us. When they finally say: we surrender! my dragon stops screeching, hops onto the refrigerator and ruffles her feathers. I wish you wouldn’t do that my dad says. I try to tell him that I didn’t do anything my dragon did. But they aren’t listening.

Now this is the first part of the story. But what do you think it all means? Do you wonder what dragons are really like? Have you ever met one? Are there different kinds I wonder? At this time if you have not done so already take out your crayons and color your dragons. While I talk about dragon lore. Dragons abound and are found in almost every culture and part of the world. From ancient times till now dragons appear in myths, fairy tales, science fiction stories, and creation epics. It is one of the oldest and greatest of monsters of the human imagination. Dragons are nature at full force, untamed, uncontrollable power. But dragons too seem very human in some stories. And sometimes dragons stand for those parts of our own nature we wish we did not have.

When did you first hear about dragons? In fairy tales and in medieval poetry in the Western world dragons are dangerous, untrustworthy creatures. They look in old paintings like overgrown lizards on steroids, with scales and claws and oh, talk about bad breath! Puiiih! These creatures breathe fire. Western dragons are very material creatures, miserly in fact. They capture and hoard gold, jewels and all sorts of treasures. But they have a weakness for human beauty, so princesses become just another trophy for them. Not that they have any real use for all of this they just want to have it. I guess that kind of dragon is a pretty good metaphor for greed in our times as well. Or for those who feel driven by our culture’s emphasis upon newer better, faster, larger, super size things. The dragon cries: More and more I must have more sitting on top of a mountain of treasures.  To be a dragon in the West is not easy. Sooner or later a knight in shiny armor appears and slays you. Where there have been dragons there have always been dragon slayers. But how do we slay the dragon within?

But in the East, in China for example, dragons are different creatures. Yes, they are powerful but also sources of wisdom and good luck. Temples and shrines are built to honor them for they are said to control the weather, the rivers and the seas. So if you look up at the sky and see dragons in the clouds you may be right! Chinese cities had pagodas where incense is burned to honor the dragons. In Japan the Isle of the Temple in the Inland Sea is a famous place of pilgrimage for those who worship dragons. The year of the dragon is good luck. At Chinese New Year people become the dragon in dancing parades.

But these dragons breathe clouds not fire. Their voices are different too. Instead of roars they sound like ringing bells or clanging gongs. They can be as small as silk worms or as large as mountains. When underground dragons hunch their backs they create mountains and hills. Some are miles long. Dragons in this mythology are the natural forces we can neither tame nor control, the unpredictable weather, the mysterious deep of the lakes, the rapid currents of the rivers and the forces within our earth, volcanoes and earthquakes that shape our landscapes.  Let us now have the offertory. Let it be for our own good luck as we make our leap into the future.

This is part two: Back to the story. Children pay attention here! Margaret is taking a walk with her invisible dragon. My dragon is invisible! Everyone can see the sidewalk and no one bumps into the garbage cans or the trees or me. But since they aren’t looking for a dragon they do not see one. Unless they are children. In which case they say: Wow! Or Look at that dragon! Which worries their parents. But some just can’t see her. Like Cynthia who is all stuck up and lives next door. She says: is this phony dragon of yours supposed to be here this morning? My dragon isn’t phony! I say. Don’t you know it is wrong to lie? Says Cynthia smiling. I’m not lying! You are too! Show me your dragon! Cynthia says! Now all I can do is shrug my shoulder-- another right moment has arrived.  Cynthia shrieks and jumps up in the air, My dragon pinched her. She runs to tell her mom who tells my mom and now I am really in trouble…You know I think Margaret may have a problem. It is not always easy to have a dragon around.

 OK it is coloring dragon time again. But children you may listen while I talk to the adults. Why do we create dragons? Out of a need for a universe larger than its physical limits. Dragon stories spring from the same need as does the need for religion, the need to make meaning out of and explain that which we cannot control, the dangers of the outer and inner world. Brian Swimme a contemporary writer calls the universe itself a green dragon in his book. On ancient maps are written beyond here there be dragons, meaning that this is where the map ends and we do not know what lies beyond. Heroes travel into the wilderness, into caves and unexplored depths to find and slay their dragons. But the outer dragons pale in comparison with our inner dragons those parts of ourselves that suddenly jump out, seemingly out of control, our fears, our angers, our doubts or unknown desires. Changes in our lives or circumstances that we are not prepared for, even positive changes may cause our dragons to rear their heads. Yes the prospect of a new church building can do it too. They are a part of us we might rather not know or have long denied. When we banish them to their cages deep in our minds they only grow bigger in the darkness waiting for the right moment. And then one day in the middle of dinner or out on the road or even at a church committee meeting they appear and roar! And we are left wondering just what happened here. We all have such dragons, myself included, but over the years I have learned that the thing to do with dragons is to recognize them and befriend them. And sometimes admit that I am, by myself, powerless over them and it will take the help of others or my faith to tame them. But when I let my dragons out into the daylight I know them for what they are: my fears, my insecurities, my anger, the five year old that still lives within this fifty six year old body. When you name and face your dragons you may discover a treasure, namely that of your own true self.

Dragons can inspire us to great feats and leaps. In a Chinese myth a river carp changes into a dragon and leaps across a giant waterfall all the way into heaven. Yu Lung is symbol of great aspirations. A good symbol for this congregation too.

 Song: Puff the Magic Dragon

 Part three: By now Margaret’s dragon has been out and around for quite a while and things are getting difficult. There is dragon smoke everywhere and ashes all over the furniture. Candles are melting because of the heat and the goldfish died. Her dragon is getting restless and is flapping her wings, twitching her tail and the smoke is getting into Margaret’s eyes. This is not fun anymore. It is getting very, very difficult to be Margaret.

You know I think it is time for the dragon to leave and for Margaret to discover that having a dragon is not nearly as much fun as being your own true self. Especially not when the dragon has you! So one day in the middle of another right moment when the dragon is flying around the living room making loud dragon noises no one notices as very slowly she slides off the back of her dragon…and the dragon lands on the windowsill…nobody sees her wave goodbye as it flies off far, far away into the distance…the dragon noises getting fainter and fainter until she is gone.

Yes, that is the end of the story and they did continue to live happily ever after since Margaret decided to be her own true self. The trouble with dragons is that they have a very hard time being discreet.

Naming our dragons…

In the next few minutes I invite you to think about and name your own dragons. Because it is only by naming them that you can tame them. Let us sit quietly and imagine just what our dragons might be….take a moment to name them for yourself…and remember that dragons can also be our hidden hopes and dreams. Just name them in your own mind…and remember that they can be a source of wisdom. Then take the small piece of paper in your order of service and write their names or name on it. These are your dragons. Now put them in your pocket and purse and later today or this week take them out and look at them. In daylight when you are calm and collected take them out again and ponder: what can I learn from my dragon?

Happy Chinese New Year! And may your dragons bring you wisdom and lots of good luck!