Dear one,
Signs: the angle of the sun; a cool morning breeze; the return of green grasses, and the fringe of gold and orange leaves—all these forecast if not shout the dawning season. However, for the Californian within me, I rue these signs and the coming of fall. Of course, I know that for some dear to me, these signs mean great, vibrant beauty amid crystal blue skies and puffy clouds—and relief from scorching winds. The signs are the same but read differently.
Likewise, as I alluded last week, although I have relatively few grey hairs, there are other signs: decreased energies, forgetfulness, stiffness, clumsiness, and, what I observed in my elders decades ago, the frequency with which friends and peers discuss their (our?) latest symptoms, sicknesses, and surgeries. Surely these are signs that, as I am drawing nigh to my eighth decade, I approach either a gate glorious or a precipice precarious.
Recently I shared with you my struggle: Should we or should we not proceed with our scheduled pastoral conferences in Malawi? There too we sought to discern the signs, but as you might recall, those signs were not altogether clear—or so they seemed. Or if they were clear, did I/we correctly read them? That is, what filter or lens did I/we apply? Not unlike the signs of a coming fall, or of the coming of age, do they portend dread or delight?
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day faced a similar dilemma: they heard His words, witnessed popular responses, saw evidence of inexplicable phenomena, and read their scrolls—often with wonder, worry, and/or wrangling. Fully cognizant of their tendencies, Jesus offered:
“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 16:2-4).
Ironically those leaders continued to demand a sign, when in fact the signs abounded. Thus they, like we, tend to ignore and/or to misinterpret the obvious. The reasons for their and our doing so might vary, but fundamentally seeking to maintain control or an unwillingness to relate openly to the one signing are paramount.
I wonder and worry, but hopefully I will rightly read what He reveals.
Stan