11/16/2023
Predictions for the Future from 1900
I found this wonderful vignette online and was so tempted to work it into Sunday’s sermon since it is about looking down the road toward the future.
Sometimes you just have to let the good ones go, because—alas—they don’t really move the point of the message forward. Enjoy this one and take note of which predictions have come to pass and which have not.
In the year 1900, a German chocolate company released 12 postcards predicting what life would be like 100 years in the future. So how close were they to predicting our life today? Well, you decide based on these descriptions of the postcards from 1900:
· Personal airships (a picture of couples flying around in their personal hot air balloons).
· Watching a live drama performance while not in the theater. (You mean, kind of like television?)
· An X-ray machine for police officers. (To detect crimes in progress within buildings).
· A roofed city. (Like a football stadium under a dome).
· Underwater ships for tourists. (Like taking a Carnival or Norwegian cruise vacation in a submarine.)
· Easy excursions to the North Pole. (Hey, honey, let’s spend the weekend at the North Pole.)
· A machine for creating good weather.
That good weather machine sure would come in handy here in Indiana, though our weather lately has been so ideal, I will withhold my usual complaints.
Have a blessed week,
Archived Posts
The Loss of a Great Christian Leader
The death today of Pope Francis was particularly poignant, falling as it did on the day after Easter. As Protestant Christians we have a once removed interest in the leader of the Roman Catholic church. Yet the pope is the authoritative leader of 1.4 billion women and men around the world. It is worth our time to pause and consider what kind of man and what kind of legacy Pope Francis left behind.
Everything You Wanted To Know About Judas Iscariot
(Drawn from online sources)
Jesus Hears A Who
Few people know that Horton Hears A Who comes from the 25th Chapter of Matthew.
Matthew 24: One More Thing...
I sometimes stumble on old documents I’ve created but have completely forgotten about. I cannot remember why I created them or what purpose they were originally supposed to serve....
Keeping the Church Doors Unencumbered
Sunday, we considered Jesus’ disruptive actions in the Temple in light of his frustration with keeping gentiles from worshipping in their designated courtyard. We then reflected on how we still tend to throw up roadblocks to those who don’t normally attend church. I found the following, but didn’t have space for it in the sermon. It’s provocative and worth chewing on for a while.
What Was the Crowd Celebrating on Palm Sunday?
I came across this list which feels a little like a "Greatest Hits of Jesus' Ministry". I share it with you today for your inspiration and edification. Enjoy!
The Best Kind of Trouble-maker
While working on this last week’s sermon I was looking through Phillip Yancey’s excellent book—The Jesus I Never Knew—when I came across a section that I found profound. It didn’t quite fit my sermon, but it caught my eye enough that I copied it down.