Hi there! Welcome to the Tuesday before Thanksgiving!!!
My how time flies! It has been 163 years since the proclamation by President Lincoln making the last Thursday of November (I don't get him not picking Tuesday?!) as a "day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." What? No mention of Turkey or football? (Yup, football in one form or another has been around since before the Civil War.)
It seems that in the middle of the American Civil War (18 months would pass before General Lee would surrender at Appomattox), President Lincoln felt that there were things in which to give thanks that did not include food or pastimes. President Lincoln was instead thankful that no foreign nation had involved itself in the American conflict, that America's economy had expanded even during the time of war, and even with all of the casualties of the war, (approximately, 620,000) President Lincoln was thankful that the population of America had increased. Gratitude in the face of such a horrific time was an example that we still honor today.
So, as you gather with friends and family to enjoy a meal or maybe just time together, remember to be grateful for those special moments. As you celebrate with abundant food and entertainment, reflect on all that time has allowed you to experience, the good and the bad. For each and every moment you spend grateful is an occasion that you allocate your time in a good way as you navigate through your time passages.
Featuring one of the more memorable saxophone solos by Phil Kenzie, "Time Passages" would peak on Billboard's Hot 100 at #7. Produced by Alan Parsons (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Sirius/Eye in the Sky" (Alan Parsons Project) "Time Passages" would spend 10 weeks at #1 on Billboards Easy Listening Chart, the most of any song in the '70s. It would also be Stewart's second single to hit in the top ten, the previous being "Year of the Cat" (#8).
It is said that Stewart wrote this song as he was making plans to return home for Christmas. Regardless of how hard he might try, he continues to find himself drifting into memories of previous times in his life. Maybe he returns to the past searching for experiences in which he should be reminded of things to learn. Or perhaps it's just reminiscing to a time that may be more pleasant than present or future existence portends to be.
In the Bible, the life of Isaac, son of Abraham, seems to go by very quickly. In comparison to other patriarchal lives, there is very little scripture that details the life of Isaac. It seems his time passage is relatively short, at least in the Bible. Once we read about Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac, it seems that many years pass by quickly in the narrative. We find that Isaac had 2 sons, Esau and Jacob. Jacob would quickly become the focus as the next patriarch of Israel. The Bible details that Isaac learned some interesting things from Abraham (Genesis 26 New American Standard Bible/The Message paraphrase of the Bible/King James Version of the Bible parallel). That's about it. Isaac becomes old very quickly in the Bible it seems as he makes his way down his time passages.
Even though the Bible does not dedicate much detail to the life of Isaac, there are some facts we can garner. We see that he is the only one of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) who lived in the promised land all of his life, he is the only one who God did not change his name, and he is the patriarch who lived the longest.
Here's the point of today's Notes. As we see in the life of Isaac, the years run too short and the days run too fast for us to not live a life filled with gratitude. As we see in President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation, joy and gratitude, even in the face of adversity, are critical as Holy Spirit transforms us more into the likeness of Jesus.
There may not be much ink spilled about your life, however, you could very well be the only believer/ Jesus Freak/ Christian, that someone will encounter. Those folks will be looking at you and observe the interaction you have with each other, whether it be brief or life-long, as their only idea of who Jesus is. Friend, how will you spend those particular time passages?
'Til Tuesday
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
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