Hurricane Irma was a vicious storm that struck Florida in the beginning of September 2017. A few weeks later, on September 29, a Key Largo couple was walking around their neighborhood to see what damage had been done. Up against a chain-link fence was a pile of garbage. They noticed a plastic bottle in the pile of garbage, and upon closer inspection they noticed a note inside! Who could have written it, and what did it say?
The Huennigers were amazed to find out that the note appeared to be written by a grade school class. It had traveled all the way from Scotland, which is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. This note-in-a-bottle had travelled over 4,400 miles—a very, very long journey! Here is what the note said:
“We are learning all about Pirates.
We would like to see how far this message goes.
Please write and tell us where you found the bottle.
We are: Class 213, Chapelpark School
Academy Street
Forfar, Angus, Scotland”
But it was missing one important piece of information—the date. How long ago had it been written? Mr. Huenniger didn’t think that the note was that old, since the bottle had no sea life stuck on it, like moss or barnacles. In fact, he said that they had almost missed seeing the note because the bottle was heavily frosted.
Mrs. Huenniger was curious. She decided to write back explaining how the note had been found, and to ask when it had been written. On November 2, she got a response. Fiona Cargill was writing to say that it had been her class that had written the letter over 30 years ago! How surprised the Huennigers were! The letter also said that the students had been second graders and that the school had been closed down in 2008. The mailman had delivered the letter to the replacement school, and they had contacted her, even though she had retired a year ago. The teacher also sent a class picture of the children dressed as pirates.
Since the children thought that pirates would put notes in bottles, they decided that that’s what they would do. A fisherman carried it out to the North Sea to give it the best chance of going a great distance. In all, they had sent a total of five bottles. One of them was found while they were still in class. It had travelled about 500 miles away from Forfar to the Faroe Islands.
These boys and girls were about 7 and 8 years old at the time. Now they would be almost 40 years old! Does that seem very old to you? Add 30 years to your age and see if you think that’s old.
There is a message that has been sent from God to man that is much, much older than 30 years. And it has travelled much farther than 4,400 miles. It has reached every part of the world, reaching every nation. Thousands of years ago, God had men that followed and loved Him write down His message. What a message it is! It tells how God created the earth and how He created man. It tells of man’s fall into sin, and how he became a sinner in the sight of a holy and righteous God. It tells of man’s need of a Savior and of God’s wonderful plan of cleansing from our sins. This is the message told in the Holy Bible, God’s Word.
Because we have all sinned, we have a desperate need. We need to be cleansed from our sins. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)). Unless we are made pure and clean in God’s sight, we cannot enter heaven. God loves us so much that He does not want anyone to perish in a lost eternity. He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to die on Calvary’s cross for our sins. He has paid our sin-debt towards God. Now all we need to do is trust Him for our soul’s salvation: “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)).
Will you let the Lord Jesus forgive your sins and thank Him for dying on the cross for you? “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:99That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)). Put your faith and trust in Him today, and He will give you eternal life. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:27-2827My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:27‑28)). This is God’s wonderful message to you! Will you accept His message to have your sins washed away? Then you will live in heaven after your life on earth is over!
ML-02/10/2019