In his award winning book, The Education of Little Tree, writer Forest Carter writes of life with his Cherokee grandparents.  He tells of sitting with his grandfather watching the morning sun rise over a mountain one winter morning.

"... we watched the mountain while we ate.  The sun hit the top like an explosion, sending showers of glitter and sparkle into the air.  The sparkling of the icy trees hurt the eyes to look, and it moved down the mountain like a wave as the sun backed the night shadow down and down.  A crow scout sent three hard calls through the air, warning we were there.

And now the mountain popped and gave breathing sighs that sent little puffs of steam into the air. She pinged and murmured as the sun released the trees from their death armor of ice.

Grandpa watched, same as me, and listened as the sounds grew with the morning wind that set up a low whistle in the trees.  'She's coming alive,' he said soft and low, without taking his eyes from the mountain.

'Yes sir,' I said, 'she's coming alive.'  And I knew right then that me and Grandpa had us an understanding that most folks didn't know."

Little Tree learned from his Grandpa how to read the signs of nature.  Reading signs, not the printed ones we see on our streets and highways, but the signs of nature and life and living is an art that takes time, practice and patience.  The reward is what Little Tree called, "...an understanding that most folks don't know."

In our gospel reading this morning, Jesus talks about "signs of the times" and particularly the signs of his coming.  In effect, he says to us, "Pay attention to signs of the times and be prepared for my coming."