“2016 will be more like 1984 than 2015 was like 1914,” is my initial thought on what’s to come. As we enter the New Year:

America (and the world in general) will continue it’s slide into deceptionalism. In fact, I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet- Satan and his minions (great word, isn’t it?) are not going to give up their recent gains. (And I wonder if the United Nations will keep it’s presidency open (vacated on 12/31/16) for the Hussein man (or will he resign early?) who will openly declare his Islamic faith.) Thank God he's done on 1/17/17.

(wouldn't it be interesting if he resigned and Number 2 decided to run?)

Friends the key to understanding what’s going on is to actually reconfigure your attitude – I thank Jan Markell for this phrase that sums up what we should be thinking: “Things are not falling apart, they are actually falling together.”

All things work for the Will of God, who is still on the Throne.

Let me just touch on a few issues that should show us the trends to come.

Our political culture/situation will require a solution in 2016. Either the current headlong rush to oblivion will continue or a small set of brakes may be applied, at least in America, or increased racial and ideological unrest will happen. In the words of Jeremiah Wright, we will see the chickens come home to roost this year as both the current regimes’ plans come to an end or the anger of the middle class will manifest in some other way then voting for Trump.

The “Days of Noah”  will continue to manifest with more increasingly bizarre behaviors sanctioned while any actions taken to counter them labelled macro-aggressive. The suffix will be used to create a new Match game “–ophobia” show on NBC.

Strong delusions will continue to be the norm as people continue to not only not seek truth but begin to award degrees at major universities to those who know how to construct “the Best Version of the Truth Available.” Biblical scholars wil continue to tell us what Jesus would have looked like if he was real and what he might have said to support today’s uni-doctrinal religion.

Paganism will be celebrated as “climate change fanatics” demand we treat the physical world better than we do our children and our elderly. Terms like “surplus population,” “death panels,” “voluntary sterilization,” ”and “euthanasia” will be spoken on street corners everywhere. Tattoo parlors will begin selling discounted (government sponsored) 'tats for ideaolgical and identification purposes.

Technology will increasingly be used to mock and persecute Christians in newer and faster ways than ever before. The persecution and killing of Christians will increase, even in places like America, and the news media will include it in the cover up of black on white, black on black, and muslim on everybody else like they do now.

"Moderate and Enlightened Christians" will increasingly turn on Traditional Christians, screaming at them to stop rocking the boat and making them look bad and drawing attacks from Islam and progressives.

Israel’s isolation and being named a purveyor of terror will increase. Ironically, should Israel not exist, people, nations, and religions would still blame the Jews for their problems.

Traditional American values, patriotism, nationalism, and the concept of American Exceptionalism, as well as the Judeo-Christian ethics that fostered them will become verboten in the schools, libraries, clubs, universities, colleges, and CHURCHES of our country. They are politically incorrect trigger words of the past.

ISLAM will grow in popularity and sharia law will replace existing jurisprudence for a short while until the call for a one religion-one faith movement comes about.

TWO IMPORTANT VERSES TO KEEP IN MIND:

If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?                   John 3: 12

For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.                                                        John 3: 16

FUTURE EVENTS ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE

Ascension of Jesus

Pentecost (Holy Spirit)

Church Age (See Revelation 1-3)

(WE ARE HERE RIGHT NOW)

Rapture of the Church

(“Spiritual” return in the air of Jesus)

7 Year Tribulation

Physical Return of Jesus

1000 Year (Millennial) Reign of Christ

Satan unbound & free to tempt humanity again

Final Battle

Great White Throne Judgment

New Heaven and New Earth

Eternity

IDENTIFIED PROBLEM:

The deceptions of the Luciferian agenda will cause great problems, both within the church and within the social community without the church area. Much persecution, trigger-targeting, and identified micro-aggressive behaviors will occur.

The ecumenical community (the “coexist” folks) will apply pressure for you to buy in. Jesus spoke to this at least 3 separate times:

The Pharisees and Sadducees approached, and as a test, asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them: “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’  And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times.

An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”          Matthew 16: 1-4a, 6 (HCSB) 

As I close this is the important thing I want to leave with you: Beware of allowing your faith and trust in Jesus be taken from you by false teaching. He is strong and will protect us but we must trust in Him.

To all of you I wish a Merry Christmas, a prosperous New Year, and peace in yourself, your families, and your endeavors.

Do not falter in your watching for our Lord's Return as it seems immenant.  If He does not tarry may we meet at His feet.

John

Waiting In Line

Luke 3: 7-18 NRSV

Did you know that in the major metropolitan areas in the United States you can purchase something called “Rent-a-friend” to wait in line for you? The service is available for everything but the dentist!

Urban mythology says that lines can be created by gossip, rumor, or sometimes wishful thinking. They seem to spring up out of thin air and the hope of getting an edge on somebody else, be the first person to try something new, or just having the satisfaction of being first.

What kind of lines have you waited on (or in) during your lives? Obviously if you have military experience you’re an expect at waiting, while some people have little idea of the theory and use of lines.

Did you know that the studying of lines is quite big business and more than a few people have earned Ph.D.’s in their study? In my psych study days lines were merely objects of curiosity but now they're big bucks.

Line functions vary depending on what the product, cost, and need for the services are. Some lines occur (DMV, Social Security, and other government regulated products) because laws demand access while others vary because of time of day (Wal-mart and/or grocery stores). But there is always one common theme – why is the person motivated to be in that line, at that time, for what reason.

People’s reasons and motivations vary in any group of people: some are needy, some are curious, some are bored, some are nosey, and some don’t want to be left out of any deals being handed out. I laugh because I hear stories where people say they’ve driven so many miles to save a few dollars without realizing their vehicle expenses caused them to actually lose money.

But form a crowd and a line will develop somewhere (and not just to use the restroom!). It’s inevitable.

Our Gospel lesson returns to John the Baptist again this week. He is preaching and baptizing folks in the Jordan River. His message meant different things to different people but all shared a common theme of repentance and how to avoid abusing others. People lined up to hear and receive John's message. Listen to John’s message from Luke’s Gospel:

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance.

Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"  In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."

Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."

Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming;

 I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

John was able to answer the questions and needs of a diverse group of people waiting in line to see him and receive his blessing of baptism without changing that message to words that tickled their ears. We see that even as they were baptized they continued to have questions about John, as to whether he was the one whom prophecy said was coming.

John’s answer pointed them to another crowd, another line, another preacher; Jesus of Nazareth, who John says will use the Holy Spirit and fire in His ministry.

People came to see John because they were needy, curious, bored, nosey, and even some that didn’t want to be left out of any deals being handed out. They come to Jesus for the same reasons. And some, like those going to John, will just be left with questions that will lead them to go to other lines, teachers, and ideas as well. They will never find the truth or fill the holes in their lives.

Jesus will go on to teach and prove that He was the messiah long sought by the Jews. 

The line for Jesus becomes a path and journey to eternity. 

Are you coming?

The line forms at the foot of the cross. Amen.

Hoping for Figs

Luke 21: 25-36 (NRSV)

Welcome to Advent - that time of year when we lift up the arrival and importance of the Christ Child while trying to strip away the human garnishment we call "the Holiday Season." When thinking of Christmas go with the real stuff and God's purpose and not the commercial appeals to divest your hard earned loot to places like Target, Walmart, Amazon, and E-bay. Jesus is the reason for the season!

These facts are true - or at least are reported to be: The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down - hence the expression "to get fired."

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

The term "the whole 9 yards" came from WWII fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."

In order to learn things in life you have to listen, read, and pay attention. In order to be a complete Christian with knowledge of the Bible you have to pay attention even to the end times prophecies of the Bible:

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 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.”

Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Frederick Buechner says this about Luke 21: 25-36: "I don't know any other passage in the Gospels that is harder to understand, to feel our way into, to know how to respond to, than these words of Jesus about the Second Coming. He is speaking about the end of the world and about the coming of the Kingdom of God as the climactic last act of history, and he is speaking in words and images as foreign to our whole way of thinking as his subject itself."

One of the ancient signs of hope is the fig tree.  Fig trees are right there in the beginning of the Bible, when Adam and Eve suddenly discover they are naked, after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they cover themselves in fig leaves. 

A large fig tree can become an incredible shelter.  Fig trees can live hundreds of years and are some of the oldest living things on the planet.  Rabbis often studied Torah on the cool shelter of fig trees, and the tree was associated with a quiet place to seek wisdom. 

The fruit of the fig tree is often symbolic of blessings and prosperity in the scriptures. Many times the Old Testament prophets spoke of the hope of grape vines and fig trees.  If they saw trouble on the horizon, they spoke of fig trees being cut down by their enemies.  Eating figs in the shade of the tree is the good life.

Jesus speaks of fig trees three times in Luke’s Gospel.  In each case he spoke of the importance of tending the fig tree, and being patient for its fruit to come, and working towards bearing fruit in our own actions. 

In Luke 13, he tells a parable of a man who is contemplating cutting down his fig tree because it has not given fruit for three years.  He is persuaded to wait one more year, fertilize and tend it, but after that he is not going to keep a barren tree wasting the soil. 

Here the message is that God will be patient with us and tend us till we bear fruit, but hopefully we will get around to it and not just waste our space on earth. This would have been perceived as practical wisdom by his audience, since fig trees often took two to five years to bear decent fruit.

The Greek philosopher Epictutus, born 20 years after Jesus, said, “No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.”

In today’s parable, Jesus uses the fig tree to note that we also must be patient with the work of God.  The rest for our souls and peace in the world we long for does not always come quickly.  So we have to be watchful, paying attention to the signs of hope in our midst.  Jesus says, “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that the kingdom of God is near.”

Let me note two interesting words of advice Jesus gives on how to be hopeful through tough times.  Jesus notes that there will be times when “people faint with fear and for what is coming upon the world.”  In those times Jesus promises to come to us, so “when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 

To me, that sounds like the opposite of what we do in times of trouble.  Most often when there is conflict, confusion, hardship or threats to us, we hunker down and wait for it to pass.  That doesn’t naturally seem like a time to raise your head. 

The Marines have a TV ad that says they are trained to run towards the sound of chaos, towards tyranny, injustice and despair.  Maybe Jesus words are challenging us to get involved before the Marines come in with their version of fixing things. 

When others faint with fear, we are called to lift our heads and look for the signs of God’s presence. Jesus also councils us to not get caught up either in the distraction of intoxication or worry.  Many people place comfort in intoxicating things (not just substances, either!).

I heard an interesting but sad fact last week - Did you know that authorities in our black communities suggest that 1400 young blacks are killed each year over their sneakers?

Don’t fall into the trap of sedating ourselves in times of trouble (and in our times we have so many ways to anesthetize our fears with prescriptions, TV and Angry Birds), nor should we give in to the temptation of constant worry.  Worry stifles hope.  It keeps us looking for trouble rather than being vigilant for the signs that God is near.

It is Advent, and time to be vigilant and watchful for a light shining in the darkness.  We have lit our own candle of hope this morning, and during the coming week it is our job to protect and nourish the flame. 

Sometimes we must be patient with God, like waiting three or four years for the fig tree to bear fruit. Wishing for quick fixes is not true hope. Band aids and duct tape wear off. The wounds and scars are still there underneath, yet God's comfort lingers.  

Hope seeks true healing, lasting fixes, real change in our lives.  Hope is like planting and tending a fig tree, paying attention and being patient that we may reap a lifetime of good fruit. Amen.