Communication

During the thirteen-day Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, every flyover, ship movement, and troop mobilization was a piece of information just begging to be misinterpreted.

Without clearance from President Kennedy, parts of the US Defense system went to DEFCON 2 - the step right before nuclear war (for reference, we’ve been in DEFCON 5 and 4 this year, even with North Korea’s posturing).

During those 13 days, both the US and Russia continued nuclear testing - with the US detonating 4 warheads and the USSR detonating 2.

During the crisis, a number of events ensued that could have ended in all-out nuclear war. Two of them occurred towards the end of the crisis: on the evening of October 27, U.S. Air Force Major Rudolph Anderson, Jr. was shot down in his U-2 spy plane and killed while flying a reconnaissance mission over Cuba. In response, U.S. military leaders unanimously urged Kennedy to bomb Cuba. But President Kennedy refused.

Later that same evening, in waters near Cuba, the destroyer USS Cony fired depth charges near a Soviet B-59 submarine in an effort to force the soviet submarine to the surface. Cut off from communications with Moscow, and under the impression that war had started, Captain Vitali Grigorievitch Savitsky wanted to retaliate by launching the nuclear-tipped torpedo warhead that the vessel was carrying. The United States did not know of this nuclear armament. However, naval officer Vasili Arkhipov refused to grant his authorization that was required for the nuclear attack and persuaded the captain to surface and await orders from Moscow.

Mechanics of war had become a shallow language of threat and intent between the US and the USSR because there was no reliable channel for real two-way communication.

Spy networks were used for back-channel communication.

No one could speak face-to-face. And we were this close to mutually assured destruction.

Kind of reminds me of junior high.

Tell Jason to tell Jennifer to tell Della that I like Amy.

I heard from Susan that Michael said he’s angry with you and wants to beat you up after school.

We all know that if we want to have a deep relationship with someone, we have to be able to communicate with them.

You can have a shallow relationship, a superficial relationship, a working relationship, an acquaintance, a fling without any kind of real communication. But to develop real friendship, to grow deeper, to fall in love or stay in love - you have to communicate!

Think back to when you fell in love…

You would spend hours together, telling and listening to every tiny detail about your day, your family, likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams for the future, stories about your past.

And the letters and emails would go on for miles.

You couldn’t stop communicating with each other.

When Jesus Calls Us Friends

Back to our key text for the whole series!

John 15:15 ESV

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Jesus tells us here that the key indicator of his friendship with us is communication.

Jesus says, “You can tell we’re friends. Because I’m telling everything to you! We’re communicating. If I hear something from my Father, I tell it to you. You know everything that I’m doing. I’m holding nothing back.”

How does Jesus communicate with us today?

Through the Bible

through nature (the second book of revelation)

through our prayer and devotional time

through sermons

through songs

through friends

How are we communicating with Jesus?

Through our prayer and devotional time

through songs

through giving

through obedience

Exodus 33:11 ESV

Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Moses met with God face to face. And he felt comfortable enough in his friendship with God that he could argue with God.

Jesus tells us that the key indicator of his friendship with us is communication.

But that has to go both ways. He communicates with us AND we need to communicate with him.

I was on a phone call with a friend this last Wednesday. He talked for a little over an hour. I think I got maybe three or four sentences in. Now that’s normally not the case. Normally, when we talk, it’s more of a give and take. We both talk, and we both listen. But he was driving through all of the fire destruction in Northern California and processing all of the loss and needed me to just be there and listen and support.

Sometimes Jesus has more to say to me. And sometimes I have more to say to Jesus.

But communication has to be both ways.

Nobody wants to be in a one-sided relationship.

Not even Jesus.

How are you making time in your spiritual walk to Listen to Jesus AND to Talk to Jesus?

I read a startling statement the other day on the internet. I tried to track it down for the sermon, but I couldn’t find it. It said something to the effect:

Every burned out pastor had quit praying and reading their Bible.

Now how could that be?

Pastors can’t quit praying. We have to pray for prayer meeting and Sabbath school and church and benediction and potluck and when we’re invited out, we pray for the meals and the meetings.

And Pastors can’t quit reading their Bibles. The have to pray to prepare for Valley View Chapel and Sabbath School lessons, and Sermons, and devotionals before meetings.

But I’ve recognized this as true in my life:

There’s a huge difference between public and private prayer.

And there’s a huge difference between reading the Bible to prepare and reading the Bible to fill your soul.

How are you making time in your spiritual walk to Listen to Jesus and Talk to Jesus?

How are you making time in your friendships to communicate well and listen well?