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"Hints
of Things to Come"
One can't watch any
late night TV (I don't know about you, but that's pretty much the only
time I get to watch it) without being bombarded with ads for Psychic Buddies,
Mystic Tarot card readers, Fortunes Are Us, and a whole host of similar
telemarketing scams dressed up in old/New Age garb to bamboozle people
who are fearful, desperate or sleep-deprived enough to pay insane amounts
of money to be told a version of the future.
I call it "a
version of the future" because there is something interesting going on
there. The famous line, "You will meet a tall, dark, handsome (or
beautiful) stranger" in fact conditions you to look for big people with
tans that you've never met before. You begin looking for what you
are told will happen, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
These telemarketers are trained with a few "carnival barker" type tricks
to lead you to telling them what they need to know, make you think they've
tuned into your karma (or essence or spirit or whatever), and you're hooked!
Some people are actually addicted to these kinds of scams, unable to make
a move in life without consulting the spirits or cards or con artists.
Not that I'm prejudiced against such things...
Why am I going
into this? The title of this article is also the title of my sermon
for All Saints’ Sunday, November 5th. What we celebrate on
that day is the ultimate "version of the future": a look into God's future
for us. The scriptures tell us what we need to know about what's
coming: that God has prepared an amazingly wonderful place for us, that
others who have died in faith are with the Lord, and that God has been
preparing this from the beginning.
The Bible is
admittedly a little short on specifics, like how long is eternity, how
much gold are the streets paved with, what exactly is served at the heavenly
banquet, when is Judgment Day and do we need a good lawyer (actually, the
Holy Spirit is our Advocate, so NO, we won't need a lawyer). Most
importantly, the Bible doesn't tell us what's happening next.
We just don't know, and I don't know about you, but I DON'T WANT TO KNOW.
I would rather
trust God, look for his presence and guidance
in my life, and do the best I can as his child.
And because of
this lack of detail on what's just around the corner, sometimes we are
tempted to doubt God's care for us. This is especially true when
our lives seem unsettled by worry, tragedy or loss. This week has
been particularly trying for several families in our congregation, and
it is good to celebrate the things lifted up on All Saints' Sunday: God
IS the victor over all, and that what we experience here is
not God's final word on things.
God's blessings to All the Saints here
at Trinity Lutheran
Pastor Larry
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