Good News from a Distant Land

On January 25, 1915, Alexander Graham Bell ceremonially sent the first transcontinental telephone call from New York City, which was received by his former assistant Thomas A. Watson in San Francisco. This process involved five intermediary telephone operators and took 23 minutes to connect by manually patching in the call's route.

Today we take for granted how easy it is to pull the phone out of our pockets and connect with anyone, anywhere around the world to share the news of the day. Good news from a distant land has spawned the telecommunications industry valued at well over a trillion dollars. 

I graduated from Baptist Bible College in 1981. During college, my family was in the Philippines.  Brief long-distance phone calls to the Philippines could easily cost hundreds of dollars. I hardly ever made a call to my parents. The one time I can remember calling was when I received an award at graduation. It was the Key Award, and the administration implied it was a big deal. I called and told my dad I had won the Key Award. He asked, “what’s that?” My excitement was discounted because I could not afford the time to explain it to him on this costly call. 

We still love good news from a distant place. As followers of Jesus, we share “good news.” Everyone is loved. All can be saved. A relationship with God is possible. All of this is because of Jesus. Eternity will be better than we can ever imagine. That’s good news.

Discussion Questions:

1.  What is the best news you have ever received?

2.  What is the best news you have ever delivered?

3.  If you were talking to an unbeliever, how would you describe what you love most about having a personal relationship with Jesus?  

Memory Verse:

As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country. Proverbs 25:25

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for the good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Help me to share that good news with every person I possibly can.