The world as we know it is now passing away.

(I Corinthians 7:31 B) CEV

(I Corinthians 7:29 - 31)

When is it that the world (to change the order of the above words a little) as we now know it is not passing away? Those who like to dabble in end-times theology will jump onto this bit of scripture to support their case. And unfortunately when we read this our minds may reflexively make that leap. But how can we see this in a different light? Consider the world as we knew it a few years ago. the Soviet Union was strong, united, and dominated Eastern Europe. We probably thought that the USSR would always exist. Yet today we know it no longer exists and has broken up into several smaller nations. Or if we had been asked if the Berlin Wall would ever come down we would have said, "No way". But today, in our current jargon, we have to say,"Way." Computers are yet another example of change. Years ago if someone had told me we would be able to create, communicate, and learn as we do through a computer I would have said. "In what science fiction novel did you read about this?" Change: people walking on the moon, women in public office, and members of the clergy, invitro fertilization, surrogate mothers, the list goes on.

I have a vivid memory in 2004 of seeing and listening to a person of color giving the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention and being moved and impressed by what he said. I thought, "Now that is a person I would like to see as President" but then immediately thinking, "He is a person of color. It'll never happen." Never happen?!! "The world as we know it..." is constantly passing away. As the song said in the 60s, "The times they are a changin." and they continue to change. It can all be very disquieting. So what is it we can hold onto in these shifting sands of time? Jesus gave us the answer to that in his parable about building a house on sand or on a solid rock. That Entity that never changes; the God explained by the Greeks by using their alphabet and saying that God is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. Our understanding may grow and change and indeed it took a quantum leap when God appeared for us in human form as Jesus and again at Pentecost with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Our understanding continues to grow for us as individuals as we study, mature, and come to know God personally. Yet that Solid Rock in the person of Jesus Christ is there for us unchanging in love and support as the world changes and evolves around us.