On October 5, 1975 I stepped up to a pulpit to lead the first song of that day’s church service. I was terrified. It was my very first day at my very first church as a staff member. In this case, minister of music and youth. There weren’t very many there that day, but it seemed to be a vast crowd. The piano was about eight years out of tune and it sounded like the lady sitting at the keys had a hammer in each hand as she played. My knees felt like they were made of water. All of a sudden, I just wanted it over. And it did end, about an hour and a half later. The pastor assured me I had done fine. His wife gave me a little hug. Some of the folks told me the music was great. My wife just shook her head. I was surprised I could breathe again.

         If someone had come up to me after that service and told me that one day I would be involved in services that would go out on something called the internet and would have the possibility of being seen in almost every country in the world, I would have just stared at that person. That would be stupid in the extreme. And yet, our Sunday services have the possibility of being seen by millions. They aren’t, of course. But the technology makes it possible. (This blog is read by more than just our church folks. In fact, it has been read in 78 nations. If you are reading this and did not know that our church has a web site with a number of things, including our worship videos, then I invite you to go to http://urbanayokeparish.com/ and look around our site.) It is amazing how much technology has changed in just 45 years.

         My wife and I didn’t have a TV for the first year we were married, but when we took the plunge, we went fancy. 19 inch screen, built in rabbit ears and, get this, COLOR! My parents didn’t have color, her parents didn’t have color, but we did! We paid for that TV for three years, but we had a color TV. It sat about three feet from the wall because it was so thick. Watched it every night. Now I have a 55 inch television that my son gave me, it is about 3 inches thick and I don’t even watch it every night.

         In 1976 we bought our first pocket calculator. That doesn’t sound like such a big deal now, but then it was cutting edge tech. You could add, subtract, multiply and divide. It was awesome! We played with that thing for hours, until the light in row five burned out. In 1977 we bought a gaming console. A company called Atari had come out with a video game called Pong. Simple little game involving hitting a square light with two rectangular lights and driving the square light into a goal. Actually, it was supposed to be like tennis or Ping Pong. You tied the game into your TV and then you played for hours. Atari had made a deal with Sears to sell the game and Sears sold it under the Sears name. With the Sears game you actually had two games to choose from. Tennis or hockey. I don’t recall anything being different in game play, but it was just the idea you were playing tennis or hockey. We bought the Sears version and I hooked it up to our 19 inch COLOR TV. It was clear and sharp (and in black and white, because it wasn’t made in color). What fun we had! And, oh my, we got our first phone with push buttons! That was really fun. We tried to match the tones by whistling.

         Times have changed. Computers and devices that bring the world into your hand. We no longer have to pay for long distance phone calls. My phone is not attached to the wall. It is in my pocket. I don’t use any of the features of the internet, but I could. I could play games on it, I could check e-mails or Facebook, I could watch television or movies, I could use it as a global positioning device or, if I was really lame, I could (and do) use my phone as a phone.

         Back in the 1970s, if someone asked you what you wanted to eat, the choice was meat loaf or hamburgers or pork chops or chicken or some such. Now, the choice is Chinese or Italian or fast food. A home cooked meal then was a project that lasted several hours and required thought and preparation. Now a home cooked meal is made in a microwave in your home. Then, if you were going on a trip it meant driving your bedroom sized car and planning to stop every 120 miles for gas. Now it is cramming into your shoebox sized car and planning on stopping every 375 miles for gas. Back in the day, if the husband and wife were going out to eat, it meant that the husband would be sitting in a chair in the living room fuming as his wife took forever to get ready. Now, if the husband and wife were going out to eat, it means that the husband will be sitting in a chair in the living room fuming as his wife takes forever to get ready. I guess not everything changes.

         On June 21, 1973, I heard the most amazing story. I heard how a man loved me, and the rest of the world, so much that He willingly allowed Himself to take my place and to take the burden and punishment for my sin. He allowed Himself to be sacrificed for my sin so that I would not have to pay the price. And He only asked that  I accept this wonderful gift and I could then have a place in His Kingdom for ever and ever. At first it seemed too good to be true, but something inside me kept telling my brain that this was the only way. Not fully understanding, but understanding all I needed to understand at that moment, I accepted that man, Jesus Christ, as my Savior.

         So many changes. Life is full of them. You cannot get away from change. Some are great! Some not so much. The person I witnessed so many of the great changes with is no longer with me. Everything changes. Except for the love of Jesus Christ. He continues to offer eternal life. So many reject Him. So many mock Him. Now many are calling Him racist, which is sheer ignorance. Jesus was more dark than He was white and He died for all. For Jesus, it is about grace, not race.

         When you really stop and consider the changes in the last 50 years, it boggles the mind. But the same story that brought me to Christ, can bring you to Christ. It is the same story a young man named Martin Luther heard 500 years ago that brought him to salvation. And it is the same story a man named Saul, a killer of Christians, heard on the road to Damascus that caused him to accept Christ as Savior and thus become the Apostle Paul.

         It really is simple. Accept that Jesus died for your sins so that you do not have to pay the eternal judgement for those sins. Accept Him as your Savior. If you have questions about that, my e-mail is oldirishguy51@yahoo.com. Get hold of me and we will talk.

Blessings to you this day.