" There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die." (Eccles. 3:1-2)
I hadn't thought of this applying to cars, but today it does. On this day in 1908, Henry Ford introduced to the world the Model T. It would receive a nickname, "The Tin Lizzie". It would also be called the "Fliv ver" . The Model T was called the first "affordable" car that would put "America on wheels". It did! This car was the first made on an assembly line, rather than hand crafted one at a time. That made it less expensive. It was 4 cylinders and offered various body styles from roadster to pickup to a 4 door wagon, and closed cab one-ton truck. A book about the Model T expressed it well: "The Car That Changed The World". The Model T was produced for twenty years, then moved over so the Model A could take center stage. Of course, by now there were competing cars coming on the scene. So the "Tin Lizzie" is born, October 1, 1908.
On October 1, 2009 on page 4A of the Caller Times was this brief obituary: " General Motors Co. said Wednesday it would shut down its Saturn brand after an agreement with Penske Automotive Group Inc. fell apart. .......GM CEO Fritz Henderson said in a statement that Saturn and its dealership network will be phased out."
Just like that! October 1, 1908, a car is born that would change the world. October 1, 2009, a neat, clean-looking, affordable, towable car,bought by a lot of RV folks to pull behind their Motor Homes, is deemed expendable and is pronounced dead.
Guess what? Ninety-nine years later there are still Model T Fords alive and well. They rose from the graveyard of Detroit to be a part of Model T Clubs and collectors prized possessions.
So it will be with the Saturn. A hundred years from now, if the Lord tarries, folks will see a neat little Saturn cruising down the highway as it burns..... gasoline!!! Remember that stuff?
So there you have it, even for cars: " A time to be born and a time to die ". Job asked this question at a time when answers on the subject had not been clarified by our Lord. He asked: "If a man dies will he live again?". We know the answer to that. YES! If an inanimate auto can rise from a junkyard, a living soul can rise from the grasp of death and the grave. A-men?
