Access

You could argue we have way too much "access" these days. The technology of computers has gone mobile and, especially in the city, it is a wonder most people don't wander into traffic while their heads are tilted downward at their I-Phones, Blackberries, etc.

Nevertheless, the gospel is all about access. The writer of Hebrews exalts, "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son..." Jesus gave us access to the Father is a new way. We should embrace new ways of connecting people to Jesus.

My morning stroll in downtown Boston led me to Park Street Church, where I had worshiped as a college student and which has a proud history of missions and evangelical witness. It boasts the first Sunday School and the first church to send a missionary to Hawaii. The children of Park Street Church first sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee." A nice young lady, a volunteer at the church, explained to me that at a certain point in the 1800's, the city forbid Park Street's open air preaching in the nearby Boston Commons. To restore access to the gospel, a wrought iron balcony (look carefully in the center of the 3 columns) was erected and the Word fell out into the streets. The place came to be known as "Brimstone Corner" for the fiery sermons that were delivered (and for the gunpowder that was stored in the basement during the War of 1812).

Some thing don't grow old. One of them is the need of people to hear the good news of the gospel. Technology supplies new "balconies" for its message. Let's pray that God would show us how to use it wisely for His glory.