Not too long ago, if you were travelling by air, one of the things you could always find in the seat pocket in front of you was Skymall magazine. It had all kinds of gadgets and ridiculously useless items that made it something fun to flip through while sitting on an airplane. Today you can find all those useless ridiculous items online instantly, so the magazine disappeared.

About a dozen years ago I was looking at an issue of Skymall. On one page there were two  different products for people who were losing their hair. At the top of the page was some kind of spray on hair that was supposed to make the little bit of hair you have look thicker. On the bottom of the page was a laser device that you shine on your head in order to stimulate hair growth. And there were several other similar products in this issue. But the reason these ads caught my eye is that on the facing page, right across from these ads to help those who are losing their hair, was an ad for hair removal. As I looked at this I thought: Dear Lord, how dissatisfied are we in this country! Those who don’t have hair want it and those who have hair don’t want it. How much time and effort and money do we spend on trying to grow hair where it won’t grow and trying to stop growth where it occurs!

This lack of contentment reminded me of these words from Scripture:

Hebrews 13:5-9a  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.

In the context of telling us to be content, God tells us the reason we should be content:  He does not change! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. That is a message that is necessary for our world today. God’s steadfast, unchanging nature must be proclaimed.

Twenty-two years ago at this time, people were still flocking to churches in the wake of the September 11 terrorism acts. They were looking for answers. They wanted to know where God was in all of this. And we have an answer. God is right here, He is with us. He never left us. He has always been with us. He could just as easily have said today what Jesus said about the people of Jerusalem: you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. (Matthew 23:37) Jesus has always wanted to gather His children together. He is not the one who left. People have been running away from him. That is why evil flourishes.

The message God’s people have to share is that no matter who you are or what you have done, it is never too late to turn back to God and trust in His mercy. The promise God made through Jesus is still available. Jesus came to take care of the problem of sin, to make sure you could be forgiven. He lived a life without sin because you could not. He offered that perfect life as the payment for the sins of everyone. Through faith, you can claim His payment as your own. Because of what Jesus did for you, God will be merciful and forgive you. That is the same message that has been proclaimed since Jesus rose from the dead in victory. That message does not change. It is the message the world needs to hear.