Out of Season

I was sitting n my front porch and noticed something odd. We have a magnolia tree that grows alongside the driveway. For the past two years in a row it has started to blossom like in past years. However, the weather being what it has been, a heavy frost hit and killed the normally beautiful and bright flowers.  The buds turned sickly brown and fell to the driveway below.

Yet, here I see something odd. In two different places within the upper limbs are two fresh buds growing. The pink and white striation piercing the dark green of the leaves. But, this isn't the season for this. This is not supposed to be the time for blossoming. Now is supposed to be the hazy mundane season of heat and rain allowing normal growth of the main trunks. Yet, there they are.

As I pondered I was taken to an odd piece of scripture.  During Jesus' final week, he walked past a fig tree while he was hungry. He found no figs on the tree, the writer pointing out that it was not the season for figs. Yet, even with the fact that it was out of season, Jesus still cursed the tree.

I understand the connection to be multilayered. The first is that we are entering into a new age whereby the normal rules for the normal seasons and predictable growth are no longer going to hold sway. The "church" has be so weighed down by man made rules and doctrine that e Spirit is no longer able to flow freely and this in the normal season the blossoms are no longer able to sustain. Instead the Spirit must move on his own terms and in His own time. He will call forth His fruit as He will. Those who are not alert and not able to flow with the shifting of this season will miss the harvest.

The other layer is that we are to be prepared in season and out of season to bear witness. As those bright colors contrasted with the dark green, so are we to be those bright colors as we allow the light of Christ to shine through us. Just because it does not "feel like" the right time, the right circumstance or he right season, these are excuses are not acceptable.  We are to be ready. 

We are in what hey call the post modern era. We are past the golden age of the Christian Church and mainstream denominationalism. We are in a new first century in which we, as Christian, are becoming less and less burdened by cultural acceptability and are instead moving into a new season as experienced by the first century church. A season in which the Spirit is able to flow as he wills. This is a potential time of Faith being raised up that will once again have the power to move mountains.  We need to watch and remain faithful.