Is That A Feather? Every seventeen years, billions of black shrimp-size bugs with transparent wings and beady red eyes, carpet trees, buildings, poles, and just about anything else that's upright, in a wide region of the U.S. stretching from the eastern seaboard and west, through Indiana and then south to Tennessee. Though 'Cicadas' arrive every year, the enormity of this particular seventeen year emergence is known as 'Brood X'. The last one I remember was in 2004 and I still cannot get the smell of thousands upon thousands of them, dead and rotting, out of my nostrils, or the crunching of their dead carcasses from under my feet as I made my way to my car each morning. Then there is the noise, oh my gosh, the hot buzzing noise! The Cicada mating ritual produces a cacophony of courtship that can be heard through even the densest of suburban glass, making sure that in another seventeen years time, they will arise to mate and die again in their thousands of millions, so that dogs, cats, fish, birds, squirrels, deer, raccoons, mice, ants, wasps and even some crazy human beings, may gorge themselves on these noisy, nasty and prolific little beasts. With the overwhelming abundance of the seventeen-year Cicadas, 'Brood X' ensures their survival by satiating their predators within a few short days, thus leaving billions of them free to mate. By the end of June, all the Cicadas will have gone. Six to eight weeks after their departure the eggs that have been lain in the trees, will hatch, fall to the ground and eventually burrow into the earth and wait a further seventeen years until the reproduction of 'Brood X' begins once again. Friends God knows how to fill nets with fish, baskets with overflowing bread, bottles with ever-pouring oil and pots of water with rich red wine. This is our Fathers world and He has no problem in over production when He needs either to bless or to blast. Now, I wonder if in our lands of plenty, we might just consider that we infact may be being blasted by God, especially as we observe the rising epidemic of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and the like? I just might be right, for being born in 1960 I qualify (just) as being part of the Gen-X brood and this brood of ours is still wandering in the desert having all we desire, pouring like green dismissive snot from our nostrils. There is nothing we do not want. There is nothing we do not have! Fatness, information, cynicism and a longing for some kind of Shangri-La called Egypt, are all ours in abundance. Peace, joy, satisfaction, family, community and the intimacy of the Almighty however, are what we truly need and we truly, do not have. Tell me friends, could it be possible that the present 'Wal-Marting' of Christianity is the church simply catering to the 'consume and die' mentality of the Generation X? I wonder if our reasons for shopping at super Wal-Marts are quite similar to the reasons we Gen X'rs also go and shop at church? Oh Christian consumer, as you sit in the golf cart being ferried from the No10 parking lot towards the chandeliered entrance of your stadium sized, softly seated church and drop the Kidz off in the Praize Factory and then take a few minutes to pop into the coffee shop, grab a Latte, kick your shoes off, stare at the indoor waterfall and occasionally glance at the man on the video screen in front of you and the thousands of others sat seated and staring at the oversized selection of 'jumbo-trons,' hung like alien space invaders all over the tastefully decorated, user friendly inoffensive airspace, I wonder if you have ever considered catered to, over-consumption? Go on, look around you! There are no worries if you grab another Mocha and miss the message, for you can drop into the churches media centre and pick up the little sermonette later, or better still download the Godcast into your I-Pod and listen to it tomorrow as you drive back to 'Zion' with a number of the other Christianettes to see one of the army of paid staff counselors about, about, well about anything really! Or maybe you can grab it the the next day when you come to the screening of the latest film of controversy in Youth Sanctuary No5, (old but nice) or Wednesday at the party for divorced 'Moms Meeting Men' or maybe even Thursday in the gym when you're 'Spinning for Jesus' under the sweaty motivational guidance of one of the churches fitness coaches, or failing that, yes failing that, go on 'Fish Fry Friday' out in parking lot No 11 adjacent to the new 'Worship Celebration Experience Sanctuary, Virtual cinema and Holy Spirit Shopping mall, or maybe Saturday when it's time to satisfy your conscience cause you can't get to church on Sunday because you'll be down at the not so spectacular secular Mall doing some shopping for Christmas! Tell me, have you had a good look round recently? Next time we blow our nose, let's all check and see of there's any dead bird meat sat amongst the stickiness and try not to put it back into our mouth and suck on it as we skip along on our blind and fat little way, singing along to Christian CD's while ignoring the smell of our rotting spirits deep in our souls and the sound of crumpling Christianettes crushed beneath our ever hurrying little pigs feet, trotting all the way back to Egypt. Yes indeed, it's all very distasteful, but hey, "NOT TO US, BUT TO THE LORD BE THE GLORY, (sing with me now choir) NOT TO US BUT TO THE LORD BE THE GLORY..." "Just a minute," says our neighbor now staring at our nose, "Is that a feather?" Listen: - "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. Luke 21:29-33 Pray: - Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

05-21-07
Author: Rev. Victor Robert Farrell
WhisperingWord Daily Devotions: Morning
Scripture: Numbers 11:18-20