In February 1964, Bob Dylan famously sang “…the times they are a-changin’.”
At the time, Robyn’s Nana was 40 years old. Nana doesn’t strike me as the Bob Dylan type, but the truth of Mr. Dylan’s lyric must have rung true to her then. They undoubtedly resonate in her soul all these years later.
Nana recently turned 100 years old. It’s quite an amazing accomplishment. Living many years is a combination of good genes, good choices and a hefty dose of God’s good grace. Less than 1% of the population takes that many trips around the sun. It’s difficult to fathom all she has seen in her lifetime. Undoubtedly, there is much change that she has enjoyed and some she has had to endure in all of the years God has given her.
As we were celebrating her centennial birthday, I had a conversation with Nana and her eldest about the development of the telephone over the years. One of Nana’s jobs as a young woman was working as a receptionist with an emerging piece of technology called the telephone.
Phones were just becoming common in homes, and Nana didn’t have a lot of experience using them. She recounted the difficulty she had just learning how to listen to the folks on the other end of the line. It’s interesting because just moments earlier, we spoke face to face with family several hours away via the wonder of modern telephones. Mr. Dylan’s words still stand, “…the times they are a-changin’.”
The church is not immune to change. The evidence of this truth was all around us as I spoke with Nana. At the time, we were sitting in the freshly renovated fellowship hall of the church she has attended since she was a child. The evidence of changes through the ages were everywhere. There were electric stoves, microwaves and digital devices galore. Upstairs in the sanctuary sat even more evidence of change.
The methods and modes of delivery have changed and will continue to do so as time marches on, but the message of the gospel remains the same as does the God who continues to make it available to us.
In Malachi 3:6, God declares, “I the Lord do not change. So you are not destroyed.” Hebrews 13:8 says this of Jesus: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
In the midst of all of the advancements and regressions of humanity, God remains the same. He still loves us and continues to make salvation available to all who believe.
Bob Dylan was right, “The times they are a changin’.” Change is an unavoidable fact of life. Whether we live 100 years like Nana or not, we’ll see our share of it. Through it all, though, may we also experience the unchanging faithfulness and abundant grace of God through Jesus.
The Rev. Jeremy Myers is lead pastor of First Baptist Church in Seymour. Read his blog at jeremysmyers.com.