The King

I don’t know about you, but I find myself standing long lines at funerals, Wal Mart, ball games, restaurants, and theme parks.  Long lines can be boring for most folks, but I have learned to have a little fun.

It all started years ago at Six Flags Over Georgia waiting to ride the Great American Scream Machine roller coaster.  Lines were so long that people had to have their hands stamped with a time to return to get in line.  The wait in line was so long that television sets were at each end the lines to watch programs if the person in front of you, behind you or on either side of you did not want to talk.  It was fun meeting people from different cities, states, and countries.

Of course, with the introduction of a new ride, the Scream Machine was easy to ride.  We would ride it, get off it, get back on it, and ride it again.  In fact, I rode the Scream Machine 22 times with no hands.  Now, that was fun.

Another thing that was fun when things got a little slow was to get an accompanist and point into the sky.  Now, there would not be anything in the sky.  We would point, nod our heads, whisper, and back away to watch how people would gaze into the sky.  You heard, “I see it.”  “There it is.”  “How many are there?” “What did they see?”  Yea, I know that is just wrong to do that, but it sure was fun to watch people watching the sky.  The line did not move any faster, but it sure seemed as though it did.

Gazing is something we all do, especially when trying to “figure” out something.  “Figure” is a good old Chilton County term for reasoning, contemplation, meditation, consideration, deliberation, reflection, or observation.  You have probably heard the expression, “Don’t look at me like a new born calf staring at an open gate.”   Nowadays I caught myself staring because I am losing my eyesight, not trying to figure it out.

I remember working for Hiwassee Land Company during the summers between by sophomore-junior year of school.  Our foreman, Benny, gathered us together to see something that most of had never seen before.  We worked two summers in the woods killing hardwood where pine could grow, and we saw very few snakes.  On this particular afternoon, we saw two, a small king snake and a large water moccasin.  Benny made us be real quiet as we approached the two snakes, which were in mortal combat on a small branch.

The moccasin had its mouth around the neck of the king snake.  Benny whispered, “The king snake is going to kill the moccasin.”  We stood there in disbelief.  The poor king snake’s head was lifeless, but its tail was just a twixing.  Slowly, but surely, the king snake wrapped itself around the moccasin.  Then, little by little, the king snake squeezed the moccasin.  In the silence of our gazing/staring at the snakes, we could hear the cracking of the moccasin as the king snake crushed him a little bit at a time.

Benny said that the king snake, the smaller, would eat the moccasin, the larger.  We did not believe it, but the longer we watched, the limper, the moccasin became.  Finally, the moccasin opened its mouth releasing the king snake.  Like a calf staring at a new gate, we watched the king snake eat the moccasin.  The mouth of the king snake unhinged and open wide as the king snake slowly swallowed the moccasin.

The Great American Scream Machine gazing at the sky and the king snake incident remind me of what Ty Pardon, pastor of FBC Thomasville, said at a Quarterly Men’s Meeting.  He reminded us that the problem of the church is we stand gazing into the sky when Jesus said to be witnesses.  Could it be that we are wanting and looking for the Lord to come back because Satan, the moccasin, has the paralyzed most of our ministries?  Remember the King is not finished and one day he will crush Satan.  Until He comes, we are to be witnesses not gazing or pointing into the sky.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven (Acts 1:8-11 KJV) .