Scripture Scribbles: November 17, 2024

the Gospel

Mk 13:24-32

Jesus said to his disciples:

"In those days after that tribulation

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from the sky,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds'

with great power and glory,

and then he will send out the angels

and gather his elect from the four winds,

from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree.

When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,

you know that summer is near.

In the same way, when you see these things happening,

know that he is near, at the gates.

Amen, I say to you,

this generation will not pass away

until all these things have taken place.

Heaven and earth will pass away,

but my words will not pass away.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows,

neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

the scribble

As the fallen leaves begin to dry up and the days become shorter and darker, I’ve been reflecting on the mysterious beauty and wisdom of the seasons.

Since my conversion, it has struck me so deeply that everything we see in nature was created by God for a reason. He is trying to communicate some truth about Himself–His sacrifice, His resurrection, our nature, our purpose, our final destination–through the tangible things we see and touch and feel on earth.

In this season of fall I’ve been reflecting on what it is that God desires for me to let go.

Fall teaches me that in life it is okay to let the old pass away. Winter teaches me that there are times in life in which we feel frozen, dormant. And yet, spring teaches me that it is often in those dormant months that new things are being born underneath the surface, just waiting to bloom.

It is good to shed the old. It makes way for the new to spring forth. It is okay, natural, expected even, to have seasons of darkness, of quietness, of deep suffering. Realize that these seasons are often home to important unseen work and labor, growing new life that you won’t yet see until spring.

Today, Jesus tells us, “Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves you know that summer is near.” He is telling us to notice the signs of the times in the world around us. He is telling us this so that we can be ready for when He returns.

And even further I feel the Holy Spirit nudging me to reflect on the signs of the times in my own life, and in my own heart, and in my own relationships.

Where are the branches tender?
Where are new leaves ready to sprout?
What is He asking me to let go of, in order to welcome in the new?

Be ready, friend.
Because when the Lord comes, He heals.
Where He visits, He resurrects.

Ask the Lord to help you see the places of your life and heart that are ready for a change in season. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with the courage to shed the old, just as the dead leaves fall in autumn, to welcome in the new, tender beginnings of life to come.

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

Today’s devotion was written by Rachel Smith