On the night of the last super bowl, we had just left church services when it began to snow. Large, lazy flakes were floating to the ground and soon it was covered, Before I went to my house, I went to my daughter’s house to build a cheery fire for her in her lovely fireplace. Then I hurried home to catch the rest of the game which was now at the half. As you know, the game outcome was not certain until close to the end. At approximately two minutes before the end of the game, our picture blurred. In the next few seconds the screen displayed a rather cryptic message. It simply said, ” You have have a complete loss of signal”. The condition continued until about five minutes after the game was over. As this malfunction was occurring, I scrambled for a radio and just as I got it tuned in, I could hear congratulatory remarks being made to the winner. The snow had covered our dish and cut off our signal.

Thousands of years ago someone else lost their signal. King Saul became so out of touch with his God, he finally lost contact. He kept distancing himself from God, a fatal mistake for a human to make. Saul is a tremendous study in lost communication between the Creator and the creature.

” He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3: 11 (NIV)

” Draw near to God and He will draw near to you….” James 4: 8 (NIV)

Every once in awhile,  my swimming pool turns green.  Algae comes in force and takes command.  What was once lovely, clear, and blue becomes ugly, green and a haven for unsavory looking creatures. Disheartening indeed is the pathetic appearance of the water. No one cares to venture into the pool, or certainly spend any time in it. In order to “save” the pool, I must add a multitude of chemicals and expend time and effort. If all goes well, in a day or two, the water will return to a beautiful, pristine, healthy state.

Sometimes our lives become messed up, slimy and green with filth, like my pool. Without God, humans tend to the green and slimy. The only thing that will change humans from ugly to beautiful is the blood of the Son of God, nothing else. When the purifying blood of Jesus comes in contact with the wretched slime of the sins of humanity something marvelous happens, it changes people to something beautiful, something wonderful.

“…..And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7