Saturday Song: Carole King, "So Far Away"

Even with COVID-19 restrictions, we still can communicate with each other in real time. Thanks to apps like Facetime and Zoom, we can get instant contact with our loved ones and friends.

Those things didn't exist back in 1971 when Carole King sang this song about being separated from her lover. People did have corded phones but hearing a voice in an ear piece isn't like face-to-face conversation.

Listen to this poignant song here:

One blessing which twelve men in the first century had was having Christ training them in person. Of course they did try his patience, like the time they couldn't heal a man. Matthew 17:17 (BBE) records, "And Jesus, answering, said, 'O false and foolish generation, how long will I be with you? how long will I put up with you? let him come here to me.'"

In those days, the saints had only letters to communicate to each other while being apart. These were hand-delivered and took months to arrive. We see one example of this in 1 Corinthians 16:5 and 6 (BBE). "But I will come to you after I have gone through Macedonia, for that is my purpose; But I may be with you for a time, or even for the winter, so that you may see me on my way, wherever I go."

Unlike our personal letters, those letters which we have in our Bibles from the first century were meant for general reading by entire congregations. One example is shown in 1 Peter 1:1 (BBE). "Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the saints who are living in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,"

I'm glad though that a day will come when we'll be together with our adored Lord and Master. Christ explained how we would all be gathered at the resurrection in Mark 13:27 (BBE). "And then he will send out the angels, and will get together his saints from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven."

If that doesn't happen by Monday, I hope to post about the red letter error.