The banner headline read: Be the first on your block to detect alien life!
Since I had worked with high school students for 31 years, I was sure I already had. Still, the words caught my attention. Upon investigating, I found that astronomers with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence project (SETI) were using home computers from volunteers around the world to help decipher radio signals collected at Arecibo. In a project called SETI@Home, a volunteer has only to download a screensaver that analyzes weak signal information collected by a radio telescope. When the home computer is idle, the data is analyzed in the background. Then it is uploaded to SETI. When you move your mouse, the screensaver/analyzer gets out of the way. The idea came from a conversation between David Gedye and Craig Kasnoff at a 1994 Christmas party in Seattle. If you're interested in participating, don't forget to wrap aluminum foil around your head to keep aliens or the CIA from taking over your mind. This, however, may lead to Alzheimer's disease, so beware!
Imagine the fame and fortune one would have if recognized as the first to discover intelligent life elsewhere. After all, it's hard enough to find it on this planet. Maybe that's because so many people are overly concerned with being a superstar - #1 - on an individual level. Or maybe we're all just little green men, full of envy over what others have. The desire to be numero uno is fraught with perils, but it isn't something new to our generation.
The Jews, chosen to bring the oracles of God to mankind, were not chosen because of their goodness. God just chose them. He started with Abram, provided Isaac, then changed Jacob's name to Israel. As time moved on, and God favored Israel, they became proud and looked down on others outside their nation. The Gentiles were dogs, and those Jews outside the powerful ruling class weren't much better. However, the Jews were already looking for God's Messiah; the Gentiles were not. Then, an angel (a real extra celestial) made a proclamation to lowly shepherds announcing the Good News of a coming Messiah. It was to the lost sheep of the House of Israel that God's message of salvation was first proclaimed. God sought out the Gentiles later. However, whether one comes to Christ as a Jew or Gentile, the glory belongs totally to God. For our salvation, we should all praise Him!
Unlike the personal glory one would have from being the first to discover alien life outside our solar system, the glory for the alien life that exists at the present time on earth belongs to God and God alone. The joining of Jews - first - and Gentiles in the church is a mystery that God's revealed in this dispensation, and it is to the praise of His glory - period!
Mountain Time Moment
so that we who had already put our hope in the Messiah might bring praise to His glory.
Ephesians 1:12 HCSB
Entire article with Scripture references at:
http://home.comcast.net/~philemon25/Ephesians112.pdf
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