Time Keeps on Slippin... Slippin... Slippin...

Growing up I listened to a lot of bands playing 70's and 80's rock music.  One of them, The Steve Miller Band, had a nice modern sound and came up with "Fly Like an Eagle" in 1977.  This song was to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the week of March 12, 1977.  

It wasn't until recently I came across the actual lyrics for the song.  I have to confess, I didn't know a lot of the lyrics for those songs - we didn't have the Internet to Google them and I never did purchase the cassettes, preferring to listen to them on the radio.  In fact, when I finally found out what some of the words were, it really changed the nature of what I thought the song was about.  Take, for example, the 1997 song from the album The Cranberries put out (which is a group from Ireland - nice to mention that on St. Patrick's Day) called "Kiss Me".  For some reason, I always thought that key phrase to the song was "Can't Sleep" - turns out they were singing "Kiss Me" - shows how much I know about music.

When I had the chance to read through the lyrics of the Steve Miller song, I was surprised to hear the humanitarian focus from the third verse - look at the lyrics, chorus one, chorus two and verse one:

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'

Into the future

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'

Into the future

I want to fly like an eagle

To the sea

Fly like an eagle

Let my spirit carry me

I want to fly like an eagle

Till I'm free

Oh, Lord, through the revolution

Feed the babies

Who don't have enough to eat

Shoe the children

With no shoes on their feet

House the people

Livin' in the street

Oh, oh, there's a solution

How often (in time) have we actually taken the time to reach out to the less fortunate and help feed them, clothe them, house them?  I know, it's a big task.  But Jesus calls us to it.  From a conversation Jesus was having with his disciples, reported in Luke 3:11, Jesus says “If you have two coats, give one away.  Do the same with your food.” -  taken from The Message.  The imperative is there.  Our United Methodist Conference has these imperatives listed as "Grow in Love of God and Neighbor" (the Great Commandment found in Matthew 22:37-40), "Reach New People" (the Great Commission located in Matthew 28:19-20), and "Heal a Broken World" (discovered in the Great Proclamation from Luke 4:16-21).  

If you are involved with these three (especially the last one), praise God for it.  I know that in all of the churches I have served, missions and people have certainly been trying to accomplish these things.  But if not, somehow we just need to find the time to actually do these things.  

Because time keeps on slippin... slippin... slippin...