The south-central Virginia town I grew up in was small, but it boasted having one of the most powerful AM radio stations in the region, and in my teen years, my stepdad was a local radio personality and Bluegrass Music celebrity. (And hey, if you can remember what an AM radio station was, you’re probably one of those folks rejoicing over Trump’s promise not to tax your Social Security check 🙌.) But in any case, even though I was the lone family member who preferred Elvis over Bluegrass, I got to go with him to work once in a while. That required getting up really, really early because AM radio stations at that time were not on the air at night, and their broadcast day began about sunrise. 

An Electronic Marvel ~
Besides being responsible to get all the electronics turned on, fired up, and ready to spin his trademark theme song by sign-on time, Dad had to do the morning news and local weather, which was one of his favorite things. That meant that a vital part of the morning’s procedure took place in a little alcove near the back door that they called the “newsroom.” That was the home of the most amazing electronic marvel I had ever seen at that time, the teletype machine! (And, by the way, if you’ve ever actually worked with one of those in a corporate environment, you probably shouldn’t be driving at night or operating a gas stove…) 

The teletype machine was the station’s only source of retrieving what we called in our day, “breaking news.” My stepdad would scan pages of reports that came in overnight and look for some things interesting enough to mention on his show, but what his listeners really wanted to hear first thing in the morning was the “weather report.” Both he and his devoted fans loved that moment when the theme song and opening greeting was done, and he could take a deep breath, lean in toward the mike and say, “And now, today’s weather…”

A Scriptural Connection ~
That brings us, finally, to our Scriptural destination. Jesus used what we might call 1st Century meteorology onat least two occasions to illustrate a concept He wanted to emphasize. As I read about one of them, memories of my stepdad broadcasting the daily weather report unexpectedly emerged. The familiar lead-in to one of his favorite routine tasks stuck in my head. It attached itself to Jesus’ comment and seemed to suggest that His illustration deserved more attention than I had been inclined to give it. Since we’re still predicting weather in our day, I thought it might be worthwhile to consider what Jesus wants us to learn. Here’s how Matthew recorded one of them: 

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (Matthew 16:1–4 NKJV)

 In spite of the miraculous demonstrations of supernatural power that were commonplace in Jesus’ ministry, the religious, political, and social powerbrokers of the day repeatedly demanded that Jesus perform some sign for them. They declared hypocritically that they sought to validate His authority to do and say the things He did, but their goal was not so benign. What they really wanted was to embarrass Jesus and discredit Him. They were obsessed with finding some way to shame Him publicly and cause His followers to turn away from Him. But Jesus once again turned the tables on them and used their efforts as amateur weather men to unveil a spiritual concept while delivering a scathing reprimand for their disregard of priceless spiritual signs going on all around them. 

Making a Spiritual Point ~
In that situation, Jesus did as He was so  prone to do, He focused on a familiar practice in the physical realm and used the principles involved to reveal a similar effect in the spiritual realm. Just as indicators in the physical atmosphere can help us know how to prepare for changing conditions, there are signs in the spiritual realm that can indicate changes that might affect how we prepare ourselves for serving Him. And as always, this illustration was intended to extend to every succeeding generation, including our own.

Given that every follower of Jesus is called to serve Him, we all have spiritual work to do. That means that understanding and applying the lessons woven into Jesus’ weather comment can have an impact on our lives here and now. So, let’s begin our quest for understanding by asking a simple question, “What are some practical benefits of a reasonably accurate weather report?” Here are a few thoughts: 

• • It can tell us whether the overall atmosphere will be an encouraging asset to our work or an oppositional liability.
  • It helps us know whether and in what ways we might need to protect and defend ourselves against environmental forces.
  • Depending on our job, a forecast can help us determine which locations we can work in, how many hours we can work, and whether we can work at all.
  • It can reveal how much of ourselves we can safely expose.

Time to Pay Attention ~
As we’ve already mentioned, we have spiritual work to do, and paying attention to the conditions surrounding us and the indicators of change from that perspective is part of our job. As we think of changing conditions, have you noticed that there are significant things going on in our country? Changes many never expected are happening every day. You might also have noticed that the changes aren’t just political. The atmosphere is beginning to feel a little different in some ways, a little warmer here and there, and a little less threatening in places. Maybe God’s giving us a forecast so we know how to prepare ourselves for tomorrow’s work. Could it be that He’s changing the conditions in our workplace to encourage us to get out, to get busy doing what He sent us to do? Maybe He’d even be okay with me reaching back to use Dad’s favorite lead-in from years ago:

“And now, today’s weather…” (Spiritually speaking, of course)

• • It’s warmer now, and warmer days are coming. It’s time to come out from our protected places and start preparing the soil, planting seeds, and envisioning new life and fresh fruit. [You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain. (John 15:16 NKJV)]
  • The atmosphere is less threatening, so we can concentrate less on personal protection and more on reaching out to embrace others and bring them on board to join our work. [Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. (Acts 9:31 NKJV)]
  • The clear skies are making roads safer and more secure, and traveling new routes feels more inviting and hopeful than when adverse elements made them dangerous. [And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… (Matthew 28:18–19a)]
  • The depressing clouds of doubt and uncertainty are gradually clearing out, and clearing the way for a brighter hope to shine through. [Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NKJV)]

Improvements in our spiritual atmosphere are not an invitation to take a vacation from our mission and just lay around enjoying ourselves until some foul wind blows in another bad winter, sending us scurrying for shelter. When the spiritual atmosphere improves and begins to feel more optimistic and pleasant, our job is to recognize it and to make whatever alterations are necessary to be as productive and fruitful as possible. May the living God use each of us to help make tomorrow’s weather outlook brighter and more joyful than ever.