Wednesday, June 21, 2023

“Jesus told them a story. ‘Look at a fig tree. Any tree for that matter. When the leaves begin to show, one look tells you that summer is right around the corner. The same here—when you see these things happen, you know God’s kingdom is about here. Don’t brush this off: I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too—these things will happen. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.’”  (Luke 21: 29 33, The Message Bible)

                Ah, the summer equinox is upon us. Welcome the first day of summer. It is the season of growth, warm temperatures, summer vacations, no school, cottages, beaches, trips, shorts, tees and ice cream. Kick your shoes off and enjoy!

                Strangely though - dare I say foolishly? -  I sometimes feel a bit of melancholy on the first day of summer. In that, starting tomorrow, to a small degree, the days begin to get shorter. I have the whole, wonderful summer stretching before me, but my mind leaps way ahead to thinking that the shorter days lead to Fall, then to cooler temperatures, then to snow, and before you know it Christmas is upon us.

                Fortunately, I hear Jesus speak to my silly anxiety. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” (Matthew 6:34, TMB)

                The words, “carpe diem,” may not exactly be found anywhere in scripture but this advice from Jesus comes pretty close. Seize the day.  I can’t change the tide of the seasons. I don’t know what will happen in the future. But I do know that the sun is shining today; it is a lovely day out there. The air conditioner is working. There is good food on the table.  If only the Blue Jays were playing better baseball, I would have very little to complain about. Well, my baseball fantasy team is terrible but that's ‘small potatoes,’ as they say. Life is pretty good right now. 

                Before the parable of the fig tree in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus has been teaching about the signs by which the Kingdom of God will be known. It sounds like pretty dire stuff. In fact, it sounds painful, scary and powerfully disturbing. “It will seem like all hell has broken loose—sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking.” (Luke 21:26, TMB)

                Some Christians get very excited about these matters. They create a lot of anxiety and fear -rather gleefully, sometimes. I will admit that there are times, right now, that I look at the mess the world appears to be in and I could only hope that Jesus might make his appearance. But I also want to affirm another hope, that no matter how bad it gets, Jesus is indeed, in the end, once and for always, our Redeemer and Savior, even as we ponder the season which we are in.

                “And then - then! - they’ll see the Son of Man welcomed in grand style—a glorious welcome! When all this starts to happen, up on your feet. Stand tall with your heads high. Help is on the way!” (Luke 21: 28, TMB)

                We are never alone as the future unfolds. Help is on the way.  Stand tall and face the day.

                The apostle Paul has this helpful perspective: “All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.” (Romans 8: 22 -25, TMB)

                We are enlarged in the waiting. This is to say that we use the present time to build up our faith, enhance our Christian service, improve our love for others, clean out the sins that bind us, fill up our joys and blessings. Carpe diem!  Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  

Seize Jesus! Live today with appreciation, satisfaction, well-being. Even if your life is not exactly summer sweet, find the good there is and celebrate it. You are never alone, no matter what the season is.

Now, where did I put my sunglasses?

Dale