…to send the very best.
Know what company has this as its slogan? Well, if you said Hallmark, then give yourself a hand. It’s been the company slogan for so long that it has become part of the fabric of our culture. Hallmark – the greeting card company that we have heard about since we were little kids. If you are old enough to remember Sunday evenings half a century ago, there were many programs that were brought to you by the folks at at this famous company. Throughout the years, Janet and I have seen more great movies sponsored by Hallmark than we can even recall. And I can’t remember a bad one in the bunch.
For years, when we subscribed to Brighthouse cable, we had the Hallmark channel and even when we started with U-Verse, I think we still received it. But somewhere several years ago, U-Verse dropped our favorite network and we have pretty much been upset with their decision ever since. The only time we get those terrific movies now is when they are broadcast on the major networks or some obscure cable channel happens to replay one.
Anyway, earlier this month, Janet recorded a movie from Hallmark and we sat down to watch it last night. It was a great story called Christmas in Conway and one of the bonuses you get when you watch a Hallmark movie is that you get to watch the commercials. That’s right – there’s no way I fast forward past them. I like the commercials almost as much as I like the movies. In fact, it’s a special treat when we get to watch our favorite family fare.
So once again, Janet and I spent the evening watching a movie – how much we wish that the cable company hadn’t dropped the network. I guess you get the idea – we are dedicated to Hallmark. Throughout last evening’s broadcast, I kept noticing the tag line that “Life is a special occasion.” How true those words are. And almost every time I receive a card, I turn it over as curiosity gets the best of me and I see it if it from Hallmark.
But what is even more compelling for me is the famous tagline at the top of this post – “When you care enough to send the very best…” Those are also true words. Think about all the things we do in our lives and how we do our best work for the people we care about the most. Hopefully, it has occurred to you that God did exactly the same thing. He cared about us so much that He sent the very best – His own Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. And the mission of His Son? To lay down His life so that everyone had the opportunity to be saved and enter into eternal relationship with God. Jesus even told us that He was on earth to do the will of His Father. That whole scenario came to pass because God loved, and still loves, us so.
The verse for this evening is from the apostle John’s first epistle. John was always committed to the truth and what is so refreshing about reading his books is the fact that he lays out his positions with such ease, simplicity and clarity. Whether you are a new believer or a seasoned student educated in seminaries, John’s message of God’s love for us is beyond question. He tells us, in 1 John 4:14, “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” Did you catch it? That the Father SENT His Son – the perfect lamb of God. Or, another way to put it, the very best. Yes, God cared enough for us to send the very best. And that is just incredible. Nothing short of perfection would do for God’s love of His created beings.
My encouragement this evening is that God loves and cares for you more than you know. My prayer is that you will reach out and accept God’s love as well as spread the word that Jesus died for all of us. And you won’t even need a Hallmark card to do that – because you already have access to the best message ever written – the Holy Bible, inspired by God Himself. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…