Epiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 22, 2015
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
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, 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, 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.
I have lived in the heart of tornado alley most of my life. I, therefore, know the drill. When I was a child we watched the sky ourselves and made our own decisions about when to go to the cellar. Usually my mom, sister, brother, and I would be in the cellar while my dad watched from the top of the stairs often in a torrential rain and wind storm. Only a few times did he feel the necessity of quickly coming down himself and pulling the cellar door closed after him. We spent far more time in that cellar than necessary, because we did not have available then the tools of meteorological science use now. The excerpt from 1 Corinthians in our scripture today reminded me of those times of preparation when all that mattered was whether the storm was coming or not. Our favorite TV show, homework, chores all moved to the background until the threatening weather passed. It wasn’t really funny, but we laughed about it anyway, when several years later my parents slept through a tornado that destroyed the trees directly northwest of the house, apparently went back up over the house, and destroyed the hay barn and some other outbuildings southeast of the house.
The problem now is that with all the early warnings available, we can grow complacent. Last year I watched the TV in the safety of a shelter as the weatherman described a huge tornado coming straight down 23rd street in Oklahoma City. I must confess I was somewhat concerned about my own home that would not have been far from the storm had it continued on that path. Tornados are actually quite unpredictable, and we all watch in horror as it turned sharply south. Even some very savvy tornado chasers where killed in that storm.
Paul was no doubt anticipating the immediate return of Jesus Christ, a situation that dictated a level of preparedness that could not be sustained over the centuries. Yet it is still meaningful to us today, because it helps us realize that the living of our everyday lives, as mundane as they may seem, must be in synch with God’s priorities and purposes.
Prayer: God of our present and our future, align our lives with your priorities and purposes so that we are and will be ready and able to move forward toward the establishment of your Kingdom here on earth. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.