Skip to main content

Don't Make Me Stop This Car

The last member of an ancient tribe that has inhabited an Indian island chain for around 65,000 years has died. Boa Sr, who was around 85 years of age, was the last member of one of ten distinct Great Andamanese tribes, the Bo.

I don't study indigenous tribes much, and obviously I did not know Boa Sr personally. The article talks about how her people's ancient language died with her. The finality of it all struck me. I tried to imagine this scenario being played out with Americans, or even just my family.

It caused me to think of 2 Chronicles 36:15-21. This is the fall of Jerusalem. These verses talk about how God had warned them again and again. It was kind of like when your dad finally does pull the car over. It never seemed like it would come to this. Sure, you have been kicking his seat for the last 300 miles, but who knew he was serious?

It's a reminder that things come to an end. Your fun, the reign of Israel, or even a tribe from India. And yet...

Hope remains. If only for this world we have hope, we are to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:19). But we have hope that goes beyond this world. Someday my earthly life will come to an end, but much like the end of a caterpillar, something more beautiful waits on the other side. But hopefully not as messy, because all the pictures look really sticky.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Facebook Maybe

Granted, I'm a pastor. I have Type-A tendencies. Ok, my tendencies border on freakish OCD behavior patterns, but... Few things bother me more than the Facebook 'maybe'. I suppose I could go on and on about the grey areas of our society and the refusal of people to accept absolute standards. I could discuss the great need of people to accept that what is wrong for one person is likely wrong for everyone. I should certainly be concerned about mentioning that someone might have sin in their life. But I don't believe the Facebook 'maybe' is quite sin. Perhaps if I were coming up with new sins, I would add this to the list. But alas... Some might think the Facebook 'maybe' did not exist prior to the Internet, but they would be wrong. When I was in high school and asked a girl out on a date, I would normally be told that if they had no other plans, if nobody else called them, if there was nothing good on television and their hair did not need washing, then per...
5 comments
Read more

Accountable

I recently officiated a wedding. The ceremony was simple, lovely, and ended with another couple professing to keep the covenant of marriage. But it all started with a clarification...from me. At our first premarital counseling session, as I have done with every couple I have agreed to marry, I clarified a couple of matters. First, I officiate Christian weddings, where both spouses-to-be are professing Christians. I firmly believe that marriage is difficult enough, without adding disagreements about God into the mix. Second, as a minister of Jesus Christ, I believe the pastor’s role in a wedding is to represent the blessing of God on that union. So we have several sessions of premarital counseling where we discuss married life. It’s not that I have this imaginary card in my head, with a picture of me on the front and my stats on the back. (You know, like a baseball card.) Ok, I do picture cards. Pastor cards! And being a competitive guy, I want my stats to look good. The number of coupl...
Post a Comment
Read more

But I Wanted It

As I've said before , I'm looking for a new place to do youth ministry. Job searching in itself can be a full time task. Unfortunately, no one is paying me to look for a job. And when you haven't had to find a job in 15 years, the whole experience can feel brand new. And nerve-wracking. And quiet. So very, very quiet. I may spend a few hours here and there sending out my resumes and writing cover letters. But the churches I'm sending my information to have their own timeline. And sometimes that timeline does not involve acknowledging my presence. Which is fine, especially if one of the churches I've applied to is reading this right now. I understand those looking for youth pastors will have their own agenda and their own timeline. But it leaves me sitting here with a deafening quiet around me. I am choosing to walk by faith through these days, picturing God working behind the scenes (always behind the scenes) and holding His voice very still, until He is re...
2 comments
Read more