The Sunday Sermonette – Echoes from my Past.

Answering machines! Are you old enough to remember the thrill of rushing home from work, hopping to see the machine’s blinking red light indicating that you had messages? Then, replaying the day’s messages, recorded on a cassette, listening with awe and wonder, that such a device had been invented? Another added treat was recording your own spiffy message for the person calling to hear. Oh! What fun I had recording mine, usually silly, but always humorous. They always ended with “Shalom.” They still do.

I purchased my first machine in the late 1980s and kept it until I purchased a house phone complete with voicemail. Out went the old answering machine, but I kept the old cassettes filled with old messages. While straightening up my garage a few days ago, I discovered a box of old cassettes. Popping one into my trusty RadioShack cassette tape player, I was greeted with a flood of messages—echoes from my past.

The messages ran the gamut from humorous to sad, and amazingly stupid to downright creepy. One man (obviously a wrong number) left this message: “Shalom to you, too! God still loves you…even if you are a Jew!” I laughed and thought, “Sir Dumbo must have fallen asleep while reading the New Testament. New flash—Jesus was a Jew!” I often received calls with no message. However, many times, even when there was no message, I heard heavy breathing in the background, or muffled chattering, a ticking clock, or blaring techno music.

Another bizarre message came from a secretary at a local law office. Even after listening to my silly message, she left important details concerning an upcoming felony trial. When I returned her call, kindly telling her she’d called the wrong number, she became enraged and demanded that I bring her the tape. I didn’t. I did read, though, that they lost the case.

In the mid-nineties, Dad called, reminding me of our trip to Ochsner’s Hospital in New Orleans. Dad was to have major heart surgery there, but was called Home while in the hospital. Hearing Dad’s soft but commanding voice for the first time in almost 30 years was thrilling, touching, and heartbreaking.

An early 1998 message brought tears to my old eyes. Mother left it; her kind, sweet voice told me my lunch was in the refrigerator. She laughed and said she and Mrs. “Pete” Stanford were going to see “Titanic.” Hearing her voice for the first time in seven years evoked a bittersweet sadness. It’s strange how the simple sound of a person’s voice can flood the mind with memories.

Putting the box back on its shelf, I could only assume the many hours of recorded messages those tapes held. It was then that I thought: Does Father God keep a recording of my “messages” to Him? Those whispered in the night, asking His forgiveness for my sins? Those that I asked, “Why God, why?” What about the messages left in tears, in fear? Did He hear my messages of awe and adoration of Him and His son, Jesus?

Then, a chill washed over me. What about His messages to me? Did I listen? Probably not. Sometimes, it is easy to focus only on what we say to God and forget to pause and listen for what He might be saying to us. Listening often begins in moments of quiet prayer, reading scripture, or perhaps in a moment of reflection.

Thankfully, Father God does not keep track of our wrongs due to His love for us. 1st Corinthians 13:5 teaches us that true love does not hold grudges or keep a tally of wrongs. This concept is rooted in the idea of forgiveness, which is a conscious choice to overlook offenses and treat others as if they are not guilty. This verse serves as a reminder of the importance of forgiveness in our Christian faith. It contrasts with our tendency to hold grudges and keep a record of wrongs.

Jesus Christ provided the ultimate example of this type of love. On the cross, He paid the price for the sins of the entire world, but He kept no record of the evil and wrongs slung at Him. Rather, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” from the cross as He died, demonstrating love even in the midst of suffering.

Colossians 3:13-14 ties forgiveness to love: “Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Refusing to keep a record of wrongs is a clear expression of our following Jesus’ example of love and forgiveness.

People often say they love each other. But as soon as something happens or something is said that angers them, out comes a list of past hurts, slights, and sins! Accusations fly. Painful memories are dredged up. And bygones are no longer bygones. This is not true love.

True love forgives and refuses to keep track of personal slights. Obviously, though, we should not allow people to continue to hurt or abuse us or others. Forgiveness does not mean we must accept unhealthy behavior or put ourselves in harm’s way. Setting healthy boundaries is not only wise but can also be an expression of love—both for ourselves and for others. The goal is to foster a spirit of reconciliation, to forgive those who seek forgiveness, and to let the past stay in the past.

Listening to my old answering machine tapes conjured many fond memories, but the recordings also rekindled past hurts and slights which, thankfully, I have put behind me. What about you? Do your past “answering machine messages” still haunt you today? Please let Jesus’ example of forgiveness of those who hurt Him guide you to the peace that comes from forgiving those who have hurt you.

Ponder this and go forth.