Luke 12:49-56
Read the Signs
This is the time of year if you live in Florida like I do that you begin checking tropical storm activity in the Atlantic. As I write this devotion, there is a storm developing into a hurricane. The initial path indicates it will not directly hit Florida but scoot up north past the United States. While this is good news weather patterns can change very quickly. So we wait to see what the signs tell us.
Jesus told the crowds they were pretty good at reading the signs of what is going to happen. If clouds begin forming in the west, you can be pretty sure it’s going to rain. If the wind blows out of the south, then scorching heat is on its way. But Jesus told them they weren’t so good at reading the signs of the time of what was happening around them now and what they future holds.
In many ways we seem to be living in turbulent times. We see terrible flooding and scorching heat in many areas of our country. There’s not much we can do about the weather except be prepared as best we can and wait for its passing.
Politically, many live under the threat of arrest and deportation. They live scared of who or what may be coming for them. Signs of how divided and conflicted we are.
So, there are many signs of the times. A war here, a war there. A flood here, a flood there. Hate, animosity, and division threaten to tear us apart.
So, what does Jesus want to say to us today? Jesus wants to kindle in us a fire of change. We live in a time of repentance. He calls us to see the world as God sees the world and us. The Kingdom of God breaks into the world with a refining fire to change us and to change the world with love, forgiveness, and peace. Jesus promises to be with us and to walk alongside showing us the way to a new future.
Maybe you remember the song, “Sign, Sign, Everywhere Signs” –
Sign, sign
“Signs” (Five Man Electrical Band, 1971)
Everywhere a sign
Blockin’ out the scenery
Breakin’ my mind
Do this, don’t do that
Can’t you read the sign?
And the sign said
Everybody welcome
Come in, kneel down and pray”
But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all
I didn’t have a penny to pay
So I got me a pen and a paper
And I made up my own little sign
I said, “Thank you, Lord, for thinkin’ ’bout me
I’m alive and doin’ fine
Look for the signs that lead us into the future where and when God is waiting for us.
- What are some of the signs of the times and how shall we respond to them as Christians?
- What is the future that are you looking forward to?
