November 16, 2012 is a day that will forever live in infamy. Hostess Foods—producer of the Twinkie—announced it is liquidating its assets and going out of business.

Of course, part of the story is why the 18,000+ union workers chose to lose their jobs and go on Unemployment rather than take an 8% pay cut. Interesting priorities, don’t you think? But I want to delve into an even more fascinating part of the Twinkie story…

It has been more than 40 years since I’ve had a Twinkie, so you wouldn’t think I would be grieving its untimely death. But I am grieving, and here’s why: Like “mom and apple pie,” Twinkies were something you could count on in the American culture. Even though I hadn’t eaten one since I was a kid, I was comforted by the fact that they were available if I ever suffered from an unexpected “Twinkie attack.”

You see, the deeper issue is that many other icons of the traditional American culture are rapidly passing into oblivion. Newsweek magazine recently announced it is only going to be available online, no longer in print. Cassette tapes and 8-tracks were replaced by CDs, and now even my CD collection is at risk of being replaced by new technology. And how much longer will we have land-line phones?

Everything is changing. That’s the central message of the Twinkie demise. Even the definition of the American “family” is radically different than in the days when I faithfully watched “Leave It to Beaver,” “Father Knows Best,” or even “The Cosby Show.”

Twinkies reminded me of simpler days. It was a time when most Americans seemed attuned to the same cultural values. We all watched “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “Perry Mason,” and “American Bandstand.” But what are we left with now? “The Simpsons” and “Jersey Shore”? Is this progress or regress?

The death of the Twinkie is just one more sign that nothing is dependable in secular society. Many of the things we thought we could count on are no longer available. Everything is subject to change, and sometimes the changes come suddenly and unexpectedly. Instead of Who Moved My Cheese, the new bestseller will surely be Who Stole My Twinkies?

There’s a valuable lesson in all of this. The Bible long ago predicted “the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.” The good news for believers is that our lives can be firmly grounded on the eternal kingdom of God, “a kingdom which cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:25-29).

Of course, this raises a whole new question: Will there be Twinkies in heaven? I’ll have to leave that answer for another blog post, but I’ve heard that Twinkies really do have an incredible shelf life.