Today’s scripture: Luke 21:29-33 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Keith Phillips):
The winter of 2014 has been the worst for most of us. The winter from hell, I’ve been calling it. Here in Indiana we’ve had the heaviest seasonal snowfall in recorded history, daily temperatures twenty to thirty degrees below average, and the continued zombie-like existence of HJR-3 (the marriage discrimination amendment to the state constitution). Being an upbeat sort of guy, each day I’ve been cheerfully reminding my colleagues at work, “We’re one day closer to spring!” But the other morning with more snow and temperatures in the single digits again, I found myself confessing, “I was wrong! Spring is never coming!”
The Parable of the Blooming Fig Tree is a parable of hope, as one faces and goes through the worst. It is set in the context of the “Little Apocalypse,” Jesus’ prophecy of the end times (Luke 21:5–38). Jesus warns those who are listening about the horrors which will take place when Jerusalem is destroyed, and then goes on to describe fearful and chaotic cosmic signs. However, the two verses between that and this parable read: “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:27–28).
This parable is Jesus’ assurance that our hope for the fullness of God’s eternal reign is certain, as certain as day following night, as certain as spring following winter, as certain as fig trees sprouting leaves as the weather warms. We may not see it in the midst of winter, but spring is coming!
Apparently one of very few, I love the old hymns. This parable reminds me of the second verse of Great Is Thy Faithfulness: “Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,/ Sun, moon and stars in their courses above;/ Join with all nature in manifold witness/ To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.”
Many of us in the LGBTQ community have faced and gone through a dreadful period of bigotry, persecution, pain, and denial of dignity and equality, plus the threat of HJR-3 over our heads. The past hundred years have been a harsh winter for us. But there are clearly signs of new life and transformation for our community. We are becoming the free, joyous, open, and loving people God calls us to be. God has been in control, and God is faithful. I really like the statement by our Metropolitan Community Churches Moderator, Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, “Marriage equality will become the law of the land because God wills it to be so.”
We shall not surrender our hope. Our deliverance will come!
Thought for the day: Great is God’s faithfulness. We may be in the midst of winter, but spring is coming!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.