Reflections for Youth -Time Traveling
This week I am thinking about time for a couple of reasons.
And it's led me down several of what I like to call "internet rabbit holes." You know, those times when you are reading something and that leads you to something else - and something else. All a sudden its two hours later - oh where does the time go?
Rabbit hole #1:
On Sunday, we turned the clocks back an hour. I love "clock-back" night. We get an extra hour of sleep and a shot at not being late for church. Of course, if you have a dog (or live with small children) they still wake up at the same time. Sigh.
I've always been fascinated with the concept of time. And I am fascinated that we can just decide what time it is. Here's a link that explains the origins of daylight saving time:
Time history
Rabbit hole #2: Nov. 5 was Guy Fawkes Day (you can read about it here Nov. 5. And for all you movie nerds out there - it’s the day Marty McFly arrived in Hill Valley of the past in Doc Brown’s DeLorean. If you haven't seen it - please watch the movie "Back to the Future." This fictional article is amusing: Back to the Future
Rabbit hole #3: Our Sunday school lesson for this week is based on verses from 2 Thessalonians where Paul is writing to the church there. Paul is addressing the mixed messages that the church was receiving about the return of Christ. They were fearful and confused about timing.
Read Thess. 2: 1-5, 13-17
The out Sunday school lesson plan for the week referenced an old episode of "The Simpsons" as a way to engage in a discussion about timing and fear.
And of course, I had to go find clips of the episode and read about it. In the second season (1991 - yes, I am that old) Homer possibly eats some poisonous blowfish at a sushi restaurant and the doctor tells him that he may have only 24 hours left to live. He goes home and makes a bucket list of all the things he wants to do in the limited time he has left. The list includes having a "man to man" talk with Bart, listening to Lisa play the saxophone, eat healthily, make peace with his father, and plant a tree. Most of the things on the list are things that he rarely does or has avoided. He is scared and confused, not unlike the people in Thessalonia.
So, Paul is writing to a community that has formed a church around the teachings of Jesus. But since Paul has moved on they have no one to answer their questions. They were lonely, receiving confusing messages from other religious leaders, and perhaps being made fun of by others for what they believed. So, I imagine that they were happy to get this letter from Paul.
It was good timing.
They, like Homer, were worried about time. They were very concerned with the return of Christ. Daily life and worship were disrupted with concerns over how to wait, how to prepare, who would be "taken up" and who would be left. They were listening to rumors that Jesus had already returned. Did that mean that they were left behind? Who could they trust?
And it's led me down several of what I like to call "internet rabbit holes." You know, those times when you are reading something and that leads you to something else - and something else. All a sudden its two hours later - oh where does the time go?
Rabbit hole #1:
On Sunday, we turned the clocks back an hour. I love "clock-back" night. We get an extra hour of sleep and a shot at not being late for church. Of course, if you have a dog (or live with small children) they still wake up at the same time. Sigh.
I've always been fascinated with the concept of time. And I am fascinated that we can just decide what time it is. Here's a link that explains the origins of daylight saving time:
Time history
Rabbit hole #2: Nov. 5 was Guy Fawkes Day (you can read about it here Nov. 5. And for all you movie nerds out there - it’s the day Marty McFly arrived in Hill Valley of the past in Doc Brown’s DeLorean. If you haven't seen it - please watch the movie "Back to the Future." This fictional article is amusing: Back to the Future
Rabbit hole #3: Our Sunday school lesson for this week is based on verses from 2 Thessalonians where Paul is writing to the church there. Paul is addressing the mixed messages that the church was receiving about the return of Christ. They were fearful and confused about timing.
Read Thess. 2: 1-5, 13-17
The out Sunday school lesson plan for the week referenced an old episode of "The Simpsons" as a way to engage in a discussion about timing and fear.
And of course, I had to go find clips of the episode and read about it. In the second season (1991 - yes, I am that old) Homer possibly eats some poisonous blowfish at a sushi restaurant and the doctor tells him that he may have only 24 hours left to live. He goes home and makes a bucket list of all the things he wants to do in the limited time he has left. The list includes having a "man to man" talk with Bart, listening to Lisa play the saxophone, eat healthily, make peace with his father, and plant a tree. Most of the things on the list are things that he rarely does or has avoided. He is scared and confused, not unlike the people in Thessalonia.
So, Paul is writing to a community that has formed a church around the teachings of Jesus. But since Paul has moved on they have no one to answer their questions. They were lonely, receiving confusing messages from other religious leaders, and perhaps being made fun of by others for what they believed. So, I imagine that they were happy to get this letter from Paul.
It was good timing.
They, like Homer, were worried about time. They were very concerned with the return of Christ. Daily life and worship were disrupted with concerns over how to wait, how to prepare, who would be "taken up" and who would be left. They were listening to rumors that Jesus had already returned. Did that mean that they were left behind? Who could they trust?
Paul writes to them: “Brothers and sisters, your strong faith continues to grow in spite of the bay ways you are treated because you believe in Jesus. God calls all of you to stand firm in the message of Jesus. May God encourage you and give you strength in every good word or act.”
I think those words are helpful for us today, too. God encourages us and strengthens us to speak good words to people and act in loving ways to everyone.
Questions to think about:
Questions to think about:
- How would the world be different if we focused every day on the people and things we care about?
- What fear or confusion do you think could arise in people in your community if they had no way of knowing what time it was?
- Who or what encourages you when you are afraid or confused about faith questions?
- For whose encouragement are you grateful?
- Who can you encourage this week?
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