“He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:11-12

The title of the article that caught my attention was “Love makes us do crazy things.”

The rest of the piece told the story of 41-year-old Alexander Cirk from Holland. Cirk had begun an online relationship with a 26-year-old, young lady from China. Eventually, the relationship became serious enough that Cirk decided to fly to China to meet his pen pal. He made the flight and landed at the Changsha airport where he was to be met.

Unfortunately, his pen pal wasn’t there.

Believing she had been unexpectedly delayed, Cirk sat down and waited. After a bit, he tried to call her. He never got an answer, so he continued to wait.

Cirk waited in the airport for ten days. He might have waited longer, but he ended up having to go to the hospital where he was treated for exhaustion. After he was released from the hospital, he flew home to Holland, without ever having seen his telephone buddy.

When the lady was contacted by the media, she said,

1. She thought Cirk had been joking about coming to see her;

2. She didn’t think their relationship was that far along;

3. She thought he was coming the following year;

4. She couldn’t be reached because she was in a different province undergoing some cosmetic surgery.

Having read the story of Cirk, I had to feel sorry for him. On the other hand, he is not the first person in history to be stood up after he made a lengthy trip to see someone he loved.

Consider the Savior who, according to promise and prophet, left heaven and was born here on earth to redeem and save God’s condemned people. Even though we had fallen into sin, the Lord still loved us and was willing to do what was necessary to rescue us.

And so Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He spent the rest of His life fulfilling the Law, resisting temptation, carrying our sins, and dying our death.

It was a magnificent display of love.

And how was He welcomed and received? John tells us. The vast majority of the world did not receive Him. Indeed, those who should have recognized and acknowledged Him ended up rejecting and murdering Him. It was a tragic story back then. It is a tragic story today when the same thing happens.

This is why you and I need to do all we can to assist the Holy Spirit to help the lost be adopted into the family of God.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, for my salvation I give thanks, now may I reach out and help others see the Savior and the salvation He has won. In Jesus’ Name I ask it. Amen.

Pastor Ken Klaus Lutheran Hour Ministries All rights reserved; not to be duplicated without permission.