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Tick Tock

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“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…God has made everything suitable for its time” Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 11a

When I was a kid, I loved to watch Peter Pan. The version with Mary Martin, that is. Every year in the spring, our local New York station would broadcast Peter Pan and Mary Martin would fly from side to side of the screen, the Lost Boys would refuse to grow up, and Cyril Richard as Captain Hook would flee the crocodile that had taken his hand. Periodically through the show, you would hear the “tick-tock” of the crocodile, and that inexorable time sound would strike fear into the heart of the pirate crew.

There are occasions today when it seems that time is moving as inexorably as the “tick-tock” of the crocodile, moving forward in ways that strikes fear into the bravest of hearts. Just a few weeks ago many clergy were scrambling to put together bulletins and sermons for at least four or five services over the 8 days of Holy Week, and the “tick-tock” sounded loud in our ears.

There are other times when the deadline we face is of our own making. We may want a church committee to complete an action by a certain time or vote to move forward right now! And sometimes, it feels like the crocodile is running toward us. It is important for us to remember that not everything needs to be done on our time. Sometimes, we need to wait on God’s time when things seem to come slowly, or recognize that God is moving forward with or without us when time races by. Some things we can control, for other things we need to listen for God’s time and respect that God’s time may not be ours. Another translation of Ecclesiastes 3:11a says “God has made everything beautiful in its time.” So whether we wait upon the Lord, or move forward convinced of the urgency of the time, let us do so only after we have stopped, prayed and listened for God’s will.

Prayer: Gracious God, in the fullness of time you sent your son, not when we wanted it, not when people were convinced that they had to have a Saviour, but when you judged the time to be right. Help us to wait patiently for your will, to act quickly when you call us, and to depend on you to set the agenda for each day. Amen.

Lion Herder or Shepherd?

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See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.
              Isaiah 40:10-11

I recently saw a segment of 60 Minutes that introduced a man who rescued lions. He had once been part of the trade in illegal lions in Africa, making cute little lion cubs available to wealthy collectors. Once the lions grew to adulthood, however, the buyers want to get rid of them. The man saw these adult lions being put down, since they were unable to fend for themselves in the wild, and he was moved to begin a sanctuary for the lions The episode showed him wrestling and rolling in the dirt with the lions, playing with them apparently fearlessly. These animals that had the ability to tear him apart were gentle and fun-loving around him.

God comes to us with might, like a regal lion, able to tear apart his enemies to protect his own flock. It’s no accident C.S. Lewis used the lion Aslan to represent God in the Narnia books. And yet, this same mighty God gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them tenderly and gently leads the sheep. In the 60 Minutes episode, the reporting correspondent stayed at a distance from the animals, and even the lion owner admitted that he had to remain attentive to the mood of the animals, recognizing that both the power and the gentleness are part of the lion’s potential. In the same way, our God both has the power to overcome sin and death, and also the tender love of a parent for their child.

As we approach the celebration of Christmas, let us remember that the tiny baby in the manger, the cute little child that Mary and Joseph held in their arms, is also the God of the universe, the Word through whom all things came into being. We must be careful not to reduce our understanding of God to just the image of chubby baby cheeks and tiny fingers. God comes both in might and tenderness, with power and love. This is the wonder of our God.

Prayer: O Lord, our God, in tenderness and love you came to us, a child laid in a manger, a man who would give his life for us. But that tenderness was combined with a power beyond imagining, the power to defeat sin and death. Help me this day to remember that you are a God of of both power and love, of might and tenderness. Let me honor you in my life as you alone deserve, not just at Christmastime, but every day. Amen.

Awake and Aware

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November 15, 2014
“So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober…”

                                          1 Thessalonians 5:6
Last night I came home after a four and a half hour finance meeting at the conference center. I wasn’t ready to go to bed; my brain was too fried to do any work, so I sat down in front of the TV to watch something before I turned in for the night. I must have been more tired than I realized, because next thing I knew, I woke up to find the show I had been watching was over, the news was on, and everyone else had gone to bed. I had no idea what I had missed on the show. A few years ago – before on demand playbacks – I would have been unable to catch up until the reruns played. Whatever I had missed would be gone, at least until the end of the season.

Fortunately, I have cable with On Demand, so someday soon I will sit down and call up the show I missed and watch the last half. But as I read this text assigned by the lectionary for this coming Sunday, I realized that life doesn’t always have On Demand. If we aren’t awake, if we aren’t vigilant, things can happen when we fall asleep, unanticipated events occur, and we might miss something really important.

Paul reminds us that we need to stay awake and aware in this life, always prepared for whatever may come. We may see tragedies unfold or great joys blossom. We may see evil reaching out or God’s hand at work in wondrous ways. As Christians we believe that someday, the time will come when we or those who follow us will see the return of Jesus Christ. Whatever, we need to keep our eyes open, our hearts ready to respond in faith, and our souls prepared.

As we move toward the start of the Advent season, a season of preparation, let’s be sure to keep awake. Let’s live with our eyes open, watching for signs of God’s presence in the world, celebrating what God has done. Let’s not be people who doze off and ignore the presence of God. Instead, we’ll be the ones who are vigilant, expectant and ready to rejoice and cooperate when we see God acting for the salvation of the world. Thanks be to God that we have the eyes to see and the hearts to celebrate God’s activity in our world!

Prayer: Your mighty hand is at work in our world, O Lord, but only those who are awake and watching will see. Open my eyes to the sight of your presence. Open my heart to rejoice at what you are doing. Empower me to use my gifts to be part of the great work of redemption in which you are engaged. Keep me vigilant and ready to dive in to do my part in reaching the world for Jesus Christ. For I ask it in his name. Amen.

Bron