12/15/2016

This is an email. If you’re reading this, you’ve opened the electronic-mail. I didn’t need a stamp. I didn’t need an envelope. I didn’t have to write anything or lick anything. No ink, no spit, no paper cuts.

In fact, I never even touched this email. Last time I saw it, it was glowing on a screen. I hit send and off it went. After I hit send there’s no way I could find it or get it back. There was no one who had it. No truck it was in. No mail room, no mail bag, no mailman.

My computer isn’t even connected to any wires. As far as I know this email just flew threw the air. That’s pretty convenient. The whole thing is pretty convenient. And free. Who’s not a big fan of free?

I can communicate to all of you instantaneously and free. God could learn something here. His method of communicating was horribly complex and costly. Not only did he come all the way here from heaven (wherever that is), but he came in human flesh. I don’t even need to put a stamp on, and he put on skin and bones! And free? My goodness, the whole attempt at talking with us eventually cost him his life! Maybe God should just get a computer. Or smart phone. Man, that would be easier for him and us.

Or maybe we should get rid or ours . . .

Maybe if we want to have anything meaningful it will be complicated, time consuming, and costly. Maybe God never cared about computers, because he knew what it would take to talk to us and to save us: flesh and blood. Maybe God becoming man in order to save us isn’t just something that happened. Maybe it’s something that must continually happen in our lives. Maybe we should throw our computers in the garbage. Maybe we should see each other and not a blue screen.

I don’t think the latter will happen (you can do what you want, but I’m not throwing out my computer). But at the last trumpet call, I know that flesh and blood will rise from the dead. Computers, instagram, text message, facebook, iphone? I don’t think those will be making the cut.

That has to mean something.

Tom+