Signs

Two main categories of signs

There are two main categories of signs.

There are signs that speak about presence: Here is a barbershop, a music store, a supermarket, a church...

There are signs that speak about direction: This is the way to Moscow, Satka, Tiperary, Samarkand, Jericho..

In the Biblical language, signs are indicators of something to come: Either later at the second coming of Messiah, or just around the corner, almost at hand, about the Kingdoms of God.

Expectations

The crowd was following Jesus. There were the sick, who hoped to be healed, they also. There were the others, who were curious and wanted to see what would happen. Maybe deep inside, all of them were needy, urging a hope that this about them as well.

Even if Jesus realized some did not come with good motives (John 6:26), we know that he "saw the crowds, [and] had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd," (Matthew 9:36), and "the crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs.

They saw a presence of God. They saw an indicator of something just around the corner. Jesus did signs. Jesus was a sign. All he did and was was a sign of hope.

Crowds today

Where are the crowds today? What signs do they follow?

Does the church see the crowds? Does the church provide them with any signs?

One can argue that we today live in a world that is very different from the one John and other Biblical writers tell their stories from. One can argue that the church in Eurasia lives in other circumstances than in Western Europe and USA. One can argue that conditions for Christians varies a lot from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad.

But people are the same! They are looking for signs, signs of presence, signs of directions, signs of hope.

More than a plaque

It is not enough for us as United Methodists to have a great history. It is not enough to be a plaque, which tells that big things once happened here. We want to be a sign, a sign of God's presence, alive in us and working through us. We want to be a sign for the crow, a sign of direction, showing the way to God and the way to walk with Jesus. We want to be a sign of hope for the individual we meet and the crowds that surround us.