Devotion - Monday, November 19

It isn't often that the appointed lessons for Sunday match the appointed daily lessons.  This is happening, now.

Yesterday's gospel reading was from Mark 13 - the so called "apocalyptic" chapter of Mark.  Today's daily reading is from Luke 12 - his inclusion of the same sort of thoughts. 

Luke is less comforting that Mark; in his writings, Jesus is more critical.  He says, "You see a cloud rising in the west, and you say at once, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is... You hypocrites!  You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky; but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?"

I want to pull your attention from the insult, to encourage you to focus on the question.  Why is it that we can interpret so many other signs in our world, but are so slow to recognize what God is doing?

Perhaps it is the image of God which developed during the Newtonian period of history.  That would be of God as unchanging, unflappable.  When researchers were shaking the solid foundations of everything, Christians developed this notion in order to provide comfort and security.  Just as we have moved a bit beyond Newtonian physics, so also has theology found other ways to speak of God.  The creativity and spontaneity celebrated in more recent physics theories is more in line with the Bible's talk of God as a living, active presence among us.

This moving, active presence among us is changing things - changing us.  And, there are signs and indications that this change is occurring.

Are we able to read them?  Do we even see them?

If today's reading is like yesterdays; then today's devotion ought to end a bit like yesterday's sermon - not with some dictum but with questions:

1. What are the signs in your life, today, of God's activity?
2. How will you interpret them; how will you act on them?

I know - you have classes and projects and many other things to be learning.  But this time my often repeated tease is appropriate - choose between things which will fade and end with the semester or your collegiate career and the things which envelop us in eternal salvation.