About thirty years ago, in 1991, when my church was hiring a new pastor, one of the lead candidates asked for a salary that was substantially higher than what the elder board had been prepared to offer.
It was, he explained, a "fleece" he had placed before God. If the church would commit to a higher salary, he would know that God was calling him to take the position, uproot his family and move across the state. He just wanted a sign.
Signs can be great at clearing things up. If the sign says "Louie's Used Pet Store" then I am definitely not in the right place to get my car's oil changed. "No Loitering" communicates expectations for my behavior, and "Low Clearance 10 Feet" is a good advisory if I'm driving a truck that is 12 feet high . If I'm on my way to Pittsburgh from Trenton, a sign that says "Los Angeles, next three exits" is a pretty good indicator that I've lost my way. Signs are probably most helpful when direct and to the point. "Bridge Out" and "Do Not Enter" are two that come to mind.
That church of mine used to love signs. A message delivered in tongues was a sign that God was in our midst, even though the message usually made no more sense after it was interpreted than when it was just ecstatic utterances. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, the lead pastor always cautioned against armchair eschatology, but everyone knew it was a clear sign that the Second Coming was at hand.
Signs can feel more helpful than they really are. Kuwait was liberated during Operation Desert Storm and Saddam Hussein has been dead 15 years, but Christ still hasn't returned. Signs like that "fleece" often excuse us from taking responsibility for the decisions we're about to make, when there are so many ways to read them and a little more effort would lead to a better outcome.
Sure, maybe the elders' willingness to pay another $20,000 a year for a new lead pastor is a sign that he should take the job. On the other hand, maybe that he would ask that of a church in an economically depressed area was a sign for the elders that he adhered to the prosperity gospel and the elders should interview more candidates.
Lent is a season when the ragged people of God are hungry once more to hear the Word of God clearly, and so we look for signs. When they come, it's reassuring to know that even Jesus wasn't always clear on what the signs meant.
There was a man in the desert who may have been a prophet, or who may have just been another headcase. Jesus felt something stir, and when the call came to be baptized he answered it. When he climbed up from the water a voice spoke; or it may have just been thunder. It was a sign, clearly, but what did it mean?
Was it a sign that spring rains were coming and the people should plant their seed so the crops would grow? Or was it a sign of something deeper and more personal that would set the world on its ear?
Jesus didn't know. So he went into the desert to find out.
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