Thoughts from a Museum (and Another Fine Sermon)

I was thinking about our outing yesterday as I was reflecting on this morning's sermon. Maybe the connection is a stretch, but, hey, it's MY diary! :-)
Yesterday we went with Shirley and Terry Wuske to the  Cincinnati Museum Center. She had snagged some free admission tickets from a stack that had been given to Ronald McDonald House (they had more than they could give to their guests). We had talked about getting together in the evening, and we decided just to start earlier to take advantage of the tickets.
We only had time to visit the Cincinnati section of the museum, and not really all of that, in the two hours we were there. We definitely want to go back.

This is a depiction of Music Hall as it existed at the turn of the century,
with a look remarkably like today's.

This is a view of downtown Cincinnati, as it appeared in the 1940s. 

We spent the most time at the first exhibit, a scale model of Cincinnati as it looked in the 1940s (I think), and then another section showing parts of the city at the turn of the century. It was great fun to see the buildings we know now that were already part of the Cincinnati scene then. And it was very interesting to see how the streets and neighborhoods have changed.
(We retired to their house after the museum closed for yummy vegetable soup and cornbread made by Shirley and a little chocolate cake brought by the Taylors from Graeter's.)
Then this morning, Trevor preached the fourth sermon in his series on names of God. El Elyon means God Most High or Sovereign God; this is the God who is in control. I've thought a lot about how regularly I seek to keep control of whatever situation I'm in. The familiar story of Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego reminded us that God is in control even when the situation seems hopeless. "God will be with you in your furnace," was a new thought to me. It's a blessing and a challenge to think about.
So here's my odd (or maybe it seems terribly apparent) connection: The world around us is changing, more rapidly than most people my age would have imagined 30 or 40 years ago. Certainly the Cincinnati of today is way different from the Cincinnati depicted in the scale models in the museum. It's true we're still using some buildings already built 60 or 100 years ago. But many are used in far different ways than originally intended. Most are in neighborhoods that have changed dramatically over the decades. And the facades of our business districts give no clue to the revolution in technology and demographics that has changed every facet of American life, just in my lifetime.
But God Most High is still in control. And regardless of political changes, social upheaval, or demographic trends, he steadfastly loves us and helps us pursue his unchanging will.
It's a helpful thought to begin the week. I need to be more about seeking him than reacting to change around me, or at least responding to change with him in mind.