This summer, we had a hot week in our city – over 30’C with smoke in the air. Remote sensing said that the computer in the box by the tower was reading over 60’C and that someone needed to go check out what was wrong. When we opened the box, the fans were working well but the air intake, situated where only the most delicate of hands could reach, was completed blocked.
The obstruction was like a piece of chipboard, formed of hairs, pollen, grain dust and soot, bonded together by resinous oil. It was solid enough to take a thumb tack and covered all of the vent. Once removed and waiting a very long quarter of an hour with the cabinet doors open, the operating system cooled down and the cabinet closed till the next event – we have had several this year.
Soon after, we were able to visit our neighbouring CIAM station which needed a new component. This has only been on the air for a couple of years and while, of course, we wiped the air vents inside and out, these were already clear and working properly. However, there was already a layer of grain dust on surfaces, deposited unevenly due to electrical forces I don’t begin to understand.
Going from technical to content, this reminds us of Luke 8:4-15, the parable of the sower. Some of the grain fell on rock and withered in the sun, because it did not receive the watering of the Holy Spirit and the heat was too much. I hope this includes listening to us but that does not substitute for meeting other believers and feasting on the word. Some of the grain was choked out by weeds-the individual pieces of dust, soot and pollen-individually microscopic and harmless, but which together choke out our growth in the life of Christ and eventually brings not only spiritual but physical sickness.
Each week in our church fellowship we hear that Jesus ‘forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness’. The first is immediate-salvation-but the second takes a life time-sanctification. Different traditions understand this in different ways and I don’t pretend to understand theology any better than electronics. I do know this though, whether in your transmitter box, your car or in your walk with Jesus-check your air filter before it goes wrong.
