My family and I watch TV the old fashion way - for free. Yes, thanks to the marvel of decades old hardware known as an antenna and rotor atop an old ship's mast, we enjoy 10 or 11 channels of free TV - no cable attached. Like most people, we do have cable in our neighbourhood but my wife and I agree that the channels we get have enough garbage to watch that we don't need to pay the approximate $60.00 a month to have even more to choose from.

To be honest, I guess our TV watching is not totally free. First we use electricity to run it and a few years ago we did have to replace the rotor. Last month, a little gizmo on the antenna itself broke off in the wind and I had to climb up to fix it. To reach the antenna involved quite a setup. I had to put two legs of our stepladder on the railing of our deck and then tie a couple of its rungs to the mast next to it. Next, like Tim the Tool Man Taylor (or is that fool man) I climbed the shifting, swinging ladder and pulled myself up to the top rung of the mast. I made my eldest daughter stand and watch me do this because I figured it would be good to have at least one eyewitness should a coroner's inquiry need to be called. At the most precarious moment of my ascent, she spoke out in a very worried and somewhat anxious tone, "Dad, I don't like this. You are worth more than $60.00 a month." Though I laughed at the literal meaning of her words, my heart was touched by her tender appraisal of my worth as I . . .

My family and I watch TV the old fashion way - for free. Yes, thanks to the marvel of decades old hardware known as an antenna and rotor atop an old ship's mast, we enjoy 10 or 11 channels of free TV - no cable attached. Like most people, we do have cable in our neighbourhood but my wife and I agree that the channels we get have enough garbage to watch that we don't need to pay the approximate $60.00 a month to have even more to choose from.

To be honest, I guess our TV watching is not totally free. First we use electricity to run it and a few years ago we did have to replace the rotor. Last month, a little gizmo on the antenna itself broke off in the wind and I had to climb up to fix it. To reach the antenna involved quite a setup. I had to put two legs of our stepladder on the railing of our deck and then tie a couple of its rungs to the mast next to it. Next, like Tim the Tool Man Taylor (or is that fool man) I climbed the shifting, swinging ladder and pulled myself up to the top rung of the mast. I made my eldest daughter stand and watch me do this because I figured it would be good to have at least one eyewitness should a coroner's inquiry need to be called. At the most precarious moment of my ascent, she spoke out in a very worried and somewhat anxious tone, "Dad, I don't like this. You are worth more than $60.00 a month." Though I laughed at the literal meaning of her words, my heart was touched by her tender appraisal of my worth as I dangled between Heaven and earth.

This month, as we observe Easter, we once again have the opportunity to do just what my daughter did - look at a man hanging above the earth and ponder His value. Yes, Easter is a time to focus on the greatness and perfection of the Son of God being offered for the sins of the world on the cross of Calvary. He who had no sin took our sins upon Himself so He could bear the punishment we truly deserved. This Easter let's stop and think about that and how great Jesus was to be both willing and able to do that.

However, this Easter, let's also stop and measure our worth as we gaze upon the Savior. In this world we are often told, and sometimes feel, as if we are nothing, alone, and unlovable in our truest nature as whom we know we are inside. And yet, when we remember the death of Jesus for us at Easter, we must hold our heads up high because His death for us is the ultimate and final proof that God loves us - He really does! And if that doesn't give us true worth then nothing will. No matter how many channels your TV has, you will never see a "based on real life" movie or documentary that will convince you more than Jesus hanging on the cross should convince you of being loved and valuable to God.

This Easter Rejoice - you too are worth more than $60.00!

Pastor Tim Davis, Copyright 2003
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Pastor Tim has retired from pastoring local churches and is now working alongside his wife to help refugees and persecuted Christians.

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