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    On March 26, at precisely 8:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, one of Seattle’s most obvious landmarks came tumbling down. It was billed by one of the local television stations as the “Dome to Dust” event . . . and in just a few seconds, that’s exactly what happened. The Kingdome was imploded and with amazing precision and timing, one of the largest structures in Seattle became a pile of rubble, leaving a huge cloud of concrete dust slowly making it’s way through the city streets.

    As amazing as the implosion was to watch, there are a few things that were even more amazing to me, the casual bystander. The reaction of the crowd was curious. Some reacted as though they were watching a sporting event, cheering and applauding as the huge structure fell. Others were amazed at the site, yelling out expletives that usually began with “Oh my God . . .” Then there were some of the looming facts that made the whole thing a truly sad event.

Who thought of that?

The Kingdome was a mere 24 years old, a babe in terms of the projected life of the stadium when it was built. Just a couple of years ago the city spent several million dollars to repair the roof . . . total debt left owing at the time of the implosion? — 206 million dollars, which will take 16 more years of tax revenues to pay off. And then there’s this curious fact. In the foreground of many of the implosion scenes are two towers in the process of construction. They are the beginnings of a new stadium being built on the very site where the Kingdome came down. The new stadium will cost the tax payers hundreds of millions of dollars, and will be an outdoor stadium... in Seattle... during football season? Who thought of that?

    What made this such a sad event is that it clearly illustrates our human nature. Our fixation on what’s really temporary and our desire to want and have the newest “stuff.” In just a few seconds, what took years to build, was left in a worthless heap of concrete and rebar. Yet it will pale in comparison to the awesome site when Jesus returns and puts an end to all our “stuff” — 2 Peter 3:10. And when that’s done, only the eternal will be left.

    It is my prayer and my hope that we will all put less emphasis on what is seen and temporary, and much more on what is unseen and eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). For in our world, Jesus deserves to be Lord of all... and in the age to come he will be Lord of Eternity.

    Lord, too many times we find ourselves fixed on what can be seen. We want the biggest, the best, the most prestigious, the newest . . . and yet lose sight of the greatest possession — eternity. Help us as we struggle through this “seen” world to focus on what cannot be seen. We want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. In Jesus’ name. Amen.