WORSHIP SCHEDULE

Sunday School   9:00 AM
Social Time 10:00 AM
Worship 10:30

Then Jesus told them this parable: Think of the fig tree and all the other trees. When you see their leaves beginning to appear, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that the Kingdom of God is about to come. Remember that all these things will take place before the people now living have all died. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

- Luke 21:25-36 (The Good News Translation)

The weather this year really has me puzzled. I have never seen the disparity of temperatures and conditions that we have seen this winter.  It is sixty degrees and sunshine one Saturday and twenty degrees with snow and freezing rain the next. Right now, I have green grass in my yard, a couple of trees about to bud, and there's snow on the ground. I can't tell if it's fall, winter, or spring. 

It all reminds me of twilight. (Twilight, as in the time of day, not the series of books by Stephanie Meyer—ask your kids or grandkids about Twilight if you have any questions.) It's not quite night, and it's not quite day. Celtic Christians have long thought that this was a very special time of day. As author Leonard Beechy puts it, "Celtic folks called it 'the time between the times,' the enchanted moments at dusk and dawn when the veil between this world and the world beyond us is thin, and we seem to breathe its air."  It is a time of closeness to God and often a time of prayer for Christians around the world.

Twilight also reminds us that we live between times as well. Jesus has come and gone. He was born, died, rose, and ascended. His

physical time on earth has passed, and we wait eagerly for him to come to us again. Yet, we followers who have faithfully waited for two millennia for his return have been lulled to sleep. Excitement and anticipation were high in the early church for Jesus' second coming, but centuries of waiting and the daily grind of survival have worn us out. On top of everything, this year's weather has us confused as well. We've been waiting for so long that we've almost forgotten that we are still waiting.

So, WAKE UP! It's time for us to remember that Christ is as close as the next breath and as present as the sunshine or the snow. Let us be the people of hope, who may be living in between times, but are firmly focused on the future. Let us be spring for a world trapped in winter. Let us be the light of the world. The fig tree will bloom and the Kingdom of God is at hand. God bless us all with hope and patience.

Still waiting with you,

Pastor Tom

February 2012 Messenger

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