7:29 I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown
short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they
had none,
7:30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those
who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as
though they had no possessions,
7:31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no
dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing
away.
"For the present form of this world is passing away." Certainly Paul
believed that a dramatic change was imminent........But in a very
real sense, change is all about us. Opportunities come and go. If
they are not seized at the moment they appear they may dissolve,
never again to be available. This brings a real sense of urgency to
all of life. Yet we tend to be procrastinators and put off
opportunities too long until the decision is made for us. There is a
powerful opportunity for a sermon in this text. Rev. Bob
I'm with you Bob. My Dad was just recently diagnosed with cancer
that has spread throughout his body. Our whole family has been
suddenly confronted with the fact that we can't do a thing about
yesterday, tomorrow doesn't belong to us, and each moment of now
slips through our hands before we can even get a good look at it.
The present form of this world IS passing away, whether or not there
is a dramatic change.
Now is the only time that we have to focus on the most important
thing. As important as they are, the most important thing is not the
people in our lives that we depend on (or blame), our personal
griefs and joys, our things. It is our God, and the love that he has
shown us, and has taught us to show.
Not after we take care of everything else in our lives. NOW. SS in
PA
I guess what both of you guys are saying includes the fact that we
can't live like others live. We cannot live for the moment, but for
eternity because the moment is meaningless in the face of eternity.
Things that are important in the moment are, in fact, nothing.
Whether those things are possessions, grudges, hurts or even joys,
they are for the moment.
Note to SS in PA - May God be with you and your family during this
time. If it is God's will to take your father soon, may it be in
peace and with a minimum of discomfort. May He also comfort you and
empower you to be a light in an otherwise dark time.
Dear SS My prayers are with you and my understanding as well. As I
reflect upon this passage I am struck by the strangeness of Paul's
words; his instructions seem impossible to follow. But I think I can
take his point that we Christians, even though quite a few years
have gone by since this was written, are still to live in shortness
of time. We are to live as though our days are few, as they truly
are for so many, like your father. So what do we do? How do we live
with limited time? I find a partial answer in the Psalm for this
week: We wait and hope in God. There is security in the knowledge of
all that God has done for us and for the world. May the words of the
Psalmist provide you some peace in the midst of urgency.
Pam in San Bernardino
When we find one we love has little time left, it causes anxiety. We
consider the idea of living long, without the company of friends,
relatives, or other dear ones and it makes us sad. The truth is, we
are all short-timers. Some comfort, huh? Yet, I recall my brother's
account of his Navy days and particularly the tales of being a
Short-timer. It seems once they gave the re-enlistment speech and he
politely declined, both he and the Navy acknowledged there wasn't a
whole lot they could get out of him, and he began to coast. Told to
get a haircut(tis was back in the early 70's) he replied "I'm
working on it, Chief", but he let it slide, preparing for civilian
life to come. It worked both ways. They refused to issue him new
boots, just weeks before his discharge. Coming apart from the soles,
he painted eyes on the boots toes and wiggled his toes to make them
"talk". During inspection his CPO barked "What's this!", to which he
replied "My Chatty Charlie boots". He got new ones. None of these
were court-marshall offences, just his way of thumbing his nose at
authority which would soon have no hold and already was waning. All
this is a long way around to saying I think Paul was not so much
laying a burden on his hearers as telling them the burden was
passing away. "No longer act as though the world's rules have
dominion over you. Act as if you are already living the life that
surely is coming, and maybe soon" is what I hear Paul saying. tom in
TN(USA)
Perhaps the words I heard Loretta LaRoche speak on a PBS video about
a year ago come to mind: Tomorrow is a mystery, yesterday is
history, today is a gift and just maybe that is why they call it the
"present." Paul underscores the urgency of the moment that we live
in.
We receive all kinds of pressure to respond instantly in the mail
from "grabbing" that once in a lifetime offer for a reduced
subscription rate, to purchasing long term care insurance at a price
that never again will be offered. We have become immune to these
pleas in our mail box and often to the entire sense of urgency in
our lives. But today is really all that we have to work with.
Whether it be responding to God's call to follow or whether it be
reaching out to a loved one in pain......and frankly I don't think
there is much difference.
I am sorry for what SS is going through in life. I cannot buy the
idea that "God calls someone home." This makes God out to be a kind
of heartless object. But perhaps somehow in someway SS can find God
in this situation and respond to what God would have them do to make
the very best out of a very difficult situation. That would be my
prayer for them. Rev. Bob
