march
The March of Time marches on. This progress of time, this flow or course of chronology, is when things happen beyond our control to stop them. Take aging for example. Some people are distraught because when they look in the mirror, they see a reflection with wrinkles and age marks and long to return to their youth. Others look with optimism at the future, looking forward to aging and seeing events unfold before their eyes that will eventually weaken. Even Shakespeare writes of the seven ages of man in his play, As You Like It, ending with the famous line: Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. The march of time waits for no man. Time has been written about, spoken about and thought about.
During the time period from 1935 to 1951, the company that owned TIME magazine, produced a series of news films that were shown in cinemas in the United States called March of Time. They were the main sources of news on film before television became popular. There was also a series on American radio with the same name. Our news world has changed drastically. We are inundated with much media. Over time, history has revealed itself.
Thinking back over the course of events a year ago, it’s hard to believe how much things have changed as time marched on, regardless of the fact that it seemed that the world came to an abrupt halt. We now feel we are living in madness. And speaking of March Madness…..
March Madness is the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) men’s basketball tournament held in the United States each spring. It generates more than $800 million each year and the term “madness” came from the excitement the tournament generates.
We are unable to control the steady, unstoppable advancing of time and all the events that come with it. No one was prepared for 2020; however, the church of Sardis is warned ahead of time by John who wrote from the island of Patmos around 96 CE in Asia Minor.
4 “You still have a few followers of Jesus in Sardis who haven’t ruined themselves wallowing in the muck of the world’s ways. They’ll walk with me on parade! They’ve proved their worth!
5 “Conquerors will march in the victory parade, their names indelible in the Book of Life. I’ll lead them up and present them by name to my Father and his Angels.
6 “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”
Revelation 3: 4-6 The Message
Are you listening?