• Texts:  Genesis 3:8,9; 2 Sam. 12:1-7; Isaiah 59:2; Jeremiah 38:14-19; Ezekiel 4: Amos 3:7; 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21; 3:1
   

Do you hear me now? It’s a key phrase used in this era of the mobile phone.

According to an article in the technology section of the New York Times this week, if you are in Asia the question might be “Do you see me now?” 1
In Japan any object having the technology enhanced bar code can connect everyday objects with the Internet.

If you are hunting for a home to buy or rent you can point your cell phone at the bar code on the sign in front of the property you are interested in and~ voila!~ your mobile phone’s screen displays the number of bedrooms, baths, the price and lots of other details.

When you point your cell phone at the bar code on the wrapping of your sandwich at McDonald’s nutrition information appears on your phone’s screen. At the supermarkets you can scan meat and egg packaging before you buy it to see the expiration date as well as the name of the farmer who produced the product. Point your phone at a billboard and you can view movie trailers or at an ad for insurance in a magazine and receive an instant insurance quote.

In Japan cell phones are used to purchase airplane tickets. A code is sent to the mobile phone. When the passenger is ready to board a flight, the code is waved over a scanner at airport checkpoints.

The author of the Times’ article describes the new generation of bar codes as square-shaped mosaics of black and white boxes that can hold more information than traditional bar codes. The cameras on cell phones scan the codes. The codes are then translated into videos, music, or text on the phone’s screen.

In referencing this communication technology Cyriac Roeding, a CBS executive is quoted in the article as saying “The cell phone is the natural tool to combine the physical world with the digital world.”

In our Bible studies for the next 13 weeks we will be studying ways to communicate with the Divine world. This technology has been available to us since we were old enough to pray or read the Bible. We don’t have to live in Japan to use it either.

As our lesson this week points out God is revealed to us through nature, science, Jesus, divine providence in our lives, human relationships, the Holy Spirit and more. Can you hear God now? ~ck
 

1. All the information on cell phones was adapted from Louise Story’s article “New Bar Codes Expand Power of Cell phones” first reported in the New York Times.

Paul Richardson, Director