A WORD FOR TODAY, January 22, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, January 22, 2021
“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law. Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed. The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let’s therefore throw off the deeds of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of light. Let’s walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts." Romans 13:8-14, WEB
Ferris Buehler was a troublesome youth, able to manipulate circumstances to his advantage. He took advantage of the people around him, especially his best friend. He often skipped school, so often that he risked having to spend the summer in summer school. This character from the movie “Ferris Buehler’s Day Off” set out to have the best day ever. It was his last chance with graduation nearing, he knew that this was his last hurrah. If he was going to play hookie, he was going to do it right, with all the risks and excitement he could muster.
He convinced his girlfriend and his best friend to join him for the day. They borrowed his friend’s father’s car, a very expensive sports model that the father treasured; a mile added to the odometer would be noticed. Ferris’s best friend did not want to take the car, of even skip school, but Ferris is a strong leader. The three headed into the big city for an adventure. They parked the car in a lot where the attendants were just waiting for some hot little number to use for a joy ride. The red convertible was the perfect choice. When Ferris and his friends returned to the car after outsmarting authorities, hiding from parents and joining in a parade, they discovered that the car had been driven hundreds of miles.
Ferris’ friend was certain this would mean his end. Apparently his father thought more of the hot red car than he did of his own son, or at least that’s how he felt. He blamed Ferris and called him selfish. Ferris assured him he could fix the problem, so they put the car on blocks, put the car into reverse and put a brick on the accelerator, thinking that by running the car backward for a hundred miles would counteract the miles put on by the garage attendants. Anyone who knows anything about cars knows that this trick does not work. The odometer only works in drive, so it is impossible to remove mileage without tampering with the equipment.
They say you can’t go home again. We certainly can’t relive yesterday. We can’t turn back the hands of time just as we can’t turn back the miles on the odometer. However, do we really want to go back? We may think that yesterday was a better time, but today we know so much more. We may have been younger yesterday with more energy, but today we walk with the wisdom that comes from experience. We may have done something wrong yesterday that we would like to change, but then we would miss out on the joy or redemption, forgiveness and absolution.
Ferris’ friend freaked out about the car thinking that his father would kill himfor using it without permission. To add to his pain, when Ferris tried to turn back the clock, or the miles, disaster happened. The car fell off the blocks, and flew out the window of the garage into a ravine. The car was totally destroyed. When Ferris and his friends tried to turn back the hands of time, they caused even more damage.
While we long for the day for Christ to come, we also realize that everything will change in an instant. In that day, the world as we know it will no longer exist. We might want to turn back the hands of time, to restore broken relationships, to do things differently. However, we can’t. What we can do is to live today knowing that we are always moving forward, that the day of Christ’s return is closer now than it has ever been. Knowing that we can’t turn back, we are called to live as if Christ is near, showing love to our neighbors in word and action, always shining the light of Christ by working toward reconciliation with repentance and forgiveness.
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