by Pastor Michael Thomas

I write this on the eve of Thanksgiving, having just shopped for the meal we will have tomorrow. I am conscious that around the table we will enjoy a plenitude of dishes, with nothing lacking. And, of course, at the same moment all of us are aware that so many around the world and in the United States are hungry. As we feast, they will enjoy neither plenitude nor even a meager meal. But I do not write to expose my guilt, or my shame, but instead to lift up the promise that God is faithful. This is not the way it is meant to be and this is not the way it must be. We can change this situation. I write this also as we lean into the winds of Advent, beginning this Sunday. We have our orders, so to speak, from Christ.
Be alert; be watchful, learn to read the signs of the times. To help me read the signs of the times, I’m reading my great uncle’s journals. He writes on February 16, 1933.

“Everywhere there is a sense of impending ruin and collapse….
One is asked ‘Wouldn’t you break into a store or a rich man’s home to get food for your starving family’ and there is but one answer. States, cities, and counties are on the verge of bankruptcy. The press tells of public payrolls that cannot be met. Taxes can not be paid. Value is indeterminate. Homes, building, mortgages, bonds are worthless because there are no purchasers. Business cries out against public expenses and clamors for doles. Unemployment is increasing and the National Government is loaning money to the States for relief. The President [Hoover] is weak and indecisive and the Lame Duck Congress is taking no constructive steps. The country is waiting for the New Deal and I fear Roosevelt will have to be more than mortal to please the electorate.”
“I attended a Director’s meeting this afternoon and learned of the steady demand for gold on all banks. The country is coming after its cash and hoarding is the style. The big New York banks are profiting as they are considered too big to fail but I know that 40 billions of deposits in this country can not all be paid over the counter. Something is going to happen. Too dispirited to stop and see Mother before leaving New Rochelle.”

His words, with a few names and figures adjusted, could have been blogged today.
In recent months our economy has caused us to be similarly dispirited. One of our members calculated that, if necessary, they could grow food for three families on their property.
Another member has recalculated when he might be able to retire. And these are fortunate individuals. Like my great uncle, we know that something has to happen.
The Gospel of Mark, the gospel assigned for our lectionary reading this coming year, is a gospel of “something about to happen.” Of God active in less than promising circumstances. Be alert; be watchful, learn to read the signs of the times. I invite you to listen well to the story Mark tells this year. Listen with your ears, your mind, and your heart for the good news of God at work not just then, but now–in gardens, in healing, in lifechanging care for friend and stranger.