Time is fascinating to me. The need to mark events and understand our current place in reference to some anchor. I remember back before cell phones. When my friends and I would attend an outdoor concert. We would use some physical feature at a given location and a specific time to meet. Once you arrived at the venue there was nothing that you could use to communicate your location with anyone that you wanted to meet at the event.
“Meet me at the giant inflatable Bud Lite can.”... Generally speaking the most visible feature at an outdoor event.
Human history really is no different. We need some system to mark our place. We currently spend our days in the year 2012. That’s 2012 times that the earth has traveled around the sun since some point in history.
The Hebrew Patriarch Abraham’s life is estimated from 1976-1801 BC. All three of the world’s major monotheistic faiths find their roots in Abraham’s story. The Hebrews great liberator from Egyptian oppression Moses lived from 1391–1271 BC. Siddhattha Gotama... the man that we have come to know as the founder of Buddhism lived from 563 to 483 BC. Muhammad the founder of Islam lived from 570 to 632 AD.
Which begs the question for me. What common point in human history could be so significant as to serve as this reference?
The answer of course is controversial... if one really presses it. The birth of a poor Jewish carpenter to an unwed teenager in ancient Israel. How could it possibly be that such a small life could have stretched across so much of our known history. No matter what you believe about him... you have to carefully consider how that’s possible.
Don’t you?
Book References:
Who is that man?, by John Ortberg
Audio References:
Who was this guy?, Menlo Park Presbyterian
Who was this guy?_Learning, Menlo Park Presbyterian
Who was this guy?_Humility, Menlo Park Presbyterian
Who was this guy?_Dignity, Menlo Park Presbyterian
“Meet me at the giant inflatable Bud Lite can.”... Generally speaking the most visible feature at an outdoor event.
Human history really is no different. We need some system to mark our place. We currently spend our days in the year 2012. That’s 2012 times that the earth has traveled around the sun since some point in history.
The Hebrew Patriarch Abraham’s life is estimated from 1976-1801 BC. All three of the world’s major monotheistic faiths find their roots in Abraham’s story. The Hebrews great liberator from Egyptian oppression Moses lived from 1391–1271 BC. Siddhattha Gotama... the man that we have come to know as the founder of Buddhism lived from 563 to 483 BC. Muhammad the founder of Islam lived from 570 to 632 AD.
Which begs the question for me. What common point in human history could be so significant as to serve as this reference?
The answer of course is controversial... if one really presses it. The birth of a poor Jewish carpenter to an unwed teenager in ancient Israel. How could it possibly be that such a small life could have stretched across so much of our known history. No matter what you believe about him... you have to carefully consider how that’s possible.
Don’t you?
Book References:
Who is that man?, by John Ortberg
Audio References:
Who was this guy?, Menlo Park Presbyterian
Who was this guy?_Learning, Menlo Park Presbyterian
Who was this guy?_Humility, Menlo Park Presbyterian
Who was this guy?_Dignity, Menlo Park Presbyterian
