Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Changing times, unchanging Jesus

As I read on my Nook app on my Ipad after hooking up my Iphone 4 for the night, I noticed how things were changing just a bit in the world. This morning I noticed the nail in the change coffin: A prediction of businesses that would go away in the year 2012 include (tada) Sears. Sears as in Sears and Roebuck. Sears as in the store that had everything that was anything in my young life.

I remember two stores when I was growing up in Meridian, Miss.: Sears and Kress. Kress on the corner and Sears on two different locations including the new one out by the interstate. Sears grew so big that it moved to a new location (which was a big dang deal -- or words to that effect) when I was but a kid. Sears was the only store I remember in Jackson as well. Sears, where all the new and best stuff was located. Sears, which had its own catalogue, was the be all and end all to everything. Sears, who ditched Roebuck somewhere along the long way from rural America to cities. Sears. Going under. Killed by Amazon and Wal-Mart and Target and others who for some reason connected to young America despite having nothing different to sell than did Sears. Sears. Gone.

Truthfully I haven't been into Sears, which has only one store that I'm aware of in the parish in which I now live, for years. Until Monday I hadn't been into JC Penney's for about as long, and I understand that JC Penney is on life-support as well.

Things are achanging, friends, as the Gap in who has money and who doesn't gets bigger and the store the Gap gets smaller.

Blockbuster -- going, going ... K-Mart -- on a ventilator. Kellogg's Corn Pops -- not even milk can save them. A&W -- you won't be able to root around for a cold one with ice cream much longer. All companies that sale stand-alone GPS products (apart from GPSes found in smart phones) -- couldn't find them with a Mapquest. Old Navy is sinking, Chrysler and Plymouth are driving into oblivion, just ahead of Saturns. You can't find a Croc to wear to save your life, MySpace.com isn't so social any longer and Borders hasn't been crossed in a while.

In a Bible Study last night we discussed what Jesus had to say about wealth, or perhaps more importantly, about possessions. Possessions can be a terrible attraction and they can be a terrible distraction spiritually.

In Luke's Gospel, the 12th chapter, we read: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

A treasure in heaven that will never fail...No Sears, Roebuck, or Gap. Just purses that will not wear out because they are more important than earthly possessions by far.

What does this mean? How about giving to those who don't have? How about giving to those who are hurting, hungry, in prison, blinded by sin and made deaf by evil? Jesus came to do all those things, and he did it without having, well, even a pillow for his head at night or a roof over his head. No, his possessions, his Kingdom if you will, wasn't earthly as he told Pilate. No, his Kingdom was in heaven where nothing techno, no Blockbuster ever shows itself.

Just a new Jerusalem coming down.

Friends, times may change, things we've grown so used to might disappear, the norm might be going away. But in the end, there is Jesus who does not change yesterday, today or ever more. That's someone, and some kingdom, that can always be counted on.

Put that in your government-aided bank and store it up.




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