Pastoral Ponderings—Fleeting

Our recent trip to the Grand Canyon included along with it a brief drive through Zion National Park in Utah, where wife and kid were eager to show me a tunnel they had found back in the Fall when Kaz was first moving out there.  That there was a tunnel through a mountain wasn’t so unique, but that it had openings or “windows” along the side to peek out as you drive through was something special (you can see in the pic attached the line of cars waiting to go thru!).

I think we drove thru it three times, with my trying to get some pictures, which, even driving slowly (no pull offs to stop), were fleeting opportunities at best.  The last time I took videos I need to try to capture stills from, but I’m not that smart yet!

Then shortly after getting back home from that same trip built around a hike in the Grand Canyon, I saw in the news several articles about the Grand Canyon, including some specific landmarks we had passed on our return up to the South Rim.  There had been a heat warning—which is saying something in the summer in semi-arid conditions where it regularly gets over 100 during the day.

As I understand it, the regular summer rule there is to not hike during the heat of the day, so don’t be on the trail between something like 10 in the morning and 3 or 4 in the afternoon.  But in this news article, a fellow was hiking during a heat warning at 10 in the morning, and was found unresponsive at about 11:30.

Then within a few days, forest fires have consumed thousands of acres and buildings on the park, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge—gone in a flash.  Both the loss of life, loss of forest acreage and the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, are reminders of how fleeting life and things of value can be.

“All is vanity/meaningless/fleeting” says the familiar line from Ecclesiastes—so true—UNLESS we shape our values to eternity, rather than mere earthly concerns.  Some of you may remember I recently used this passage in a sermon, with the reference to the Hebrew word translated as “vanity” or “meaningless”- hevel, which really means more like vapor, insubstantial.  But while vapor is certain insubstantial, it is the art media God uses for every sunset, it is in the hands of our Gardener God, what brings the rain that is the foundation for all life, and in the hand of human engineers, brings light, air conditioning, even digital messages like this that can bring hope around the world.

When put to eternal uses.  How do you use your fleeting time to invest in eternity?

— Pastor Jim