I got my first cell phone when I was a sophomore in college.
I was one of the only kids on campus to have one. I remember trying to explain
to my Grandpa why it didn’t have a dial tone. It was one of the first Nokia
phones that was actually small enough to fit in your pocket, however, I bought
a clip that enabled me to wear it on my belt. I was cool.
Here’s what I remember about that first cellular plan I had
with GTE Wireless: for $49 a month I was able to talk to anyone in the 615 area
code for 30 minutes. Long distance calls were .30 a minute, as was every minute
over my allotted 30. Text messaging? What was that? Attached to my belt, was a
device that enabled me to communicate with anyone in the country, but it was
going to cost. I remember not using that phone a whole lot, but when I did my
conversations were short, direct, and to the point. I did not have the money to
waste words. I had to communicate that which was most essential in the shortest
amount of time possible.
I'm currently preaching a series on the last statements of Jesus from the cross entitled, "Red Letter Day." As we explore the “red letters” of Jesus from the cross, we
see that Jesus is making his words count. The effort required of him to speak
from the cross meant that what he had to say was extremely important. Although
not as eloquent as the "Sermon on the Mount", these words from the cross teach us
about the significance of this moment and allow us to peer into the very heart
of God.
If you knew you only had a few hours to live,
what would you say to your friends and family members? What message would you
want them to hear? What memories would you want them to cherish? We could think
of all kinds of flowery and elegant words to share with our loved ones, but our
dying words will only be as significant as the life we have lived. No amount of
eloquence on our death bed can redeem a life wasted on our own selfish
pursuits. That’s what makes the “red letters” from the cross so special. They
are validated by the kind of life Jesus lived. My prayer for the “Red Letter
Day” series is that God will use it to help us live in such a way that validates
what we say.
