Yes, indeed. It's primordial times.
And it's time for the next step upward
on the evolution ladder. Of course, the ladder
image, according to paleolontologist Stephen J. Gould is not correct.
It's really a bush that more accurately represents evolution's onward sweep.
But let's pretend it's a ladder, just for fun. Anyway, after countless
millions of years of microbes evolving and things pretty well staying
at the one cell level, a great diversification of multi-celled organisms
took place. Eventually, the oceans teemed with all kinds of
life. And, fortunately for us, some of the fish were adventuresome
types who wanted to be land lubbers simply because they liked the squish
of mud between their toes. Or lobes. And so ashore they came.
Maybe in great herds as pictured above. Maybe not.
According to the cartoon, the old time children were
also prone to ask "Are we there yet?" And so fundamentalist
Christian parents should take a lesson from their own children asking the
same question as you zip down the road in the minivan. Evidently,
God who thought up the idea of evolution in first place, programmed the
children of the various species with this revealing question. Simply
to get the parents stuck in the mud of old time ways to consider what really
is going on in life. Yep, we are in absolute transition from one
form to another. And the children of the animal kingdom know it as
sure as fingers are stuck on sticky candied hands.
St. Paul knew about transition. "And we
all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed
into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from
the Lord who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18
Jesus, of course, never talked about evolution.
But he did suggest we are
in transition. "He who would save his life will
loose it, and he who would
lose his life shall save it." If you are
happy with living on the homo sapiens level and attending only to creaturely
comforts, you are not going to evolve to the spiritual level, the level
to which you are called and for which you were created. "What does
it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul!"
Or according to the Old Testament image - If you folk have got your heart
set on the flesh pots (bodily comforts and
pleasures) of enslavement in Pharoah's Egypt, you
are not going to attain the promise land reserved for God's people.
Getting through the Red Sea will be a big challenge. Getting over
your loyalty to old enslaving desires of petty creatures will be even a
bigger challenge. It means you won't just be tinkering with
a few old habits but will involve a radical change of heart,
mind and attitudes. God help you!
St. Paul, in his writings, doesn't seem to know much
about the historical
Christ. You would wonder if he ever read the
gospels (which were written after he wrote to Corinth, Rome, etc.)
I mean he hardly seems to have heard the Jesus oral tradion that preceded
the the gospels. Nevertheless, Paul know the subject of the Gospels.
His life became total committment to Jesus. The motto of Paul's
ministry, the very antithesis of his former emphasis on law and moral behavior
was Jesus.
"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for
the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everthing loss because of
the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. . ...... that I may
gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own,
based on law but that which is through faith in Christ.
..... Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect;
but I press on to make it my own, because Chrsit Jesus has made me his
own." Philippians 3: 7
So, obviously Paul is not sitting pat on any
theological position and its not any propositional knowledge that rules
his being. Rather, Paul's in transition to a better life , a better
world with the Resurrected Jesus.
"...that I may know Jesus and the power of his resurrection,
and may share his sufferings, becoming (yes, becoming) like him in his
death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. "
Philippians 3: 10 -12
Yes, the Lord has got you this far. Not a mean
achievement. Once you
you were literally nothing. Then after say a
few billion years you were the
carbon, iron, oxygen - the dust of the earth.
Then, before you actually got your act together, you were an egg in your
mommy, a sperm of your daddy'. Then you were born a human child,
the apex of creation, at least in the eyes of mom and dad. And now
you're asking "What's it all about?" "And are we there yet?"
whatever "there" may mean.
"But our country is heaven, and from it we await
a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will change our lowly body to be like
his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to submit all things
to himself." Philip. 3:21
In transit. Yes. Here's to the next level,
a being of eternity. Amen and
Praise the Lord. "Are we there yet?" No,
says St. Paul. But we who
know Christ are well on their way.