A Bible Lesson from ORBIT Gum

 


Back in the 80’s (or maybe it was the early 90’s) Orbit Gum ran a series of commercials that featured a woman who looked like she’d just stepped off the set of an Austin Powers movie, commenting on people who had said or done or something that had left their mouths filthy.  The commercials always ended with her saying, “DIRTY MOUTH? CLEAN IT UP – WITH ORBIT!”

Today I thought about those commercials - and Jesus.

When I first started on my Christian journey – I attended a class at Northridge Church called STARTING POINT.  The class featured videos and discussion points put together by a pastor named Andy Stanley. 

On week 6 of the class, the discussion turned to the topic of GRACE.

As part of that week’s lesson, we watched a short film that brought me to tears.  The film is about 14 minutes long, and is about a girl who left her family home, then proceeded to make a number of bad choices in her life until finally – using drugs, having sex for money, and stealing food to eat – she reaches rock bottom.

But when a woman at a store sees her driver’s license and points out that her birthday is the next day – thoughts of home begin flooding the girl’s consciousness.

Memories of a loving father, a happier time, a better life. 

In a moment of deep sorrow and regret, the girl makes a call home, but only gets an answering machine.  She leaves a sort message saying she is sorry, that her parents would probably be ashamed if they knew the things she had done, and that she was thinking maybe she would stop by the next day….

The next day she does end up hitching a ride back home where she receives a most wonderful and touching welcome…

https://vimeo.com/112703623 (I hope you’ll take a little time to watch it)

The connection to the ORBIT commercial is this little thought that keeps knocking around in my head:  DIRTY LIFE?  CLEAN IT UP – WITH JESUS!

It’s simple really – God LOVES YOU.  No matter the mistakes you’ve made or the things you’ve done… And, just like the dad in the video, or the father in the Bible story of the prodigal son – God has your room ready for your return, and He is WAITING to welcome you home.

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? – John 14:2

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