The Comment

Friends, if you’ve been blogging for any length of time, you know comments are often the lifeblood of a blog.

Ethan Everest has been blogging about Christianity for good while. More than twelve years, at last count. His blog had become a constant in his inconstant life.

His site, The Devoted Christian Blogger, wasn’t famous. He started it coming out of a dark period in his life. His blog attracted a faithful circle of readers who appreciated his reflections on Scripture, hardship, and the grueling work of trusting God amid suffering.

For Ethan, most mornings began the same way: coffee, Bible, and prayer. All before checking the comments on his latest post. Ethan typically posted at least once a day.

Recently, on a gray, gloomy, overcast Tuesday, a new comment popped up beneath an article he had written a while back, titled God Hears the Cry of the Brokenhearted.

Ethan thought the username was unusual and wondered if it was some sort of scam or potentially, a virus.

The comment by Visitor-7A9-Orion read:

“Your species often writes of pain. We are trying to understand it.”

Ethan frowned.

Your species? What kind of nut job writes like this?

Spam from outer space, he chuckled.

He clicked the profile but there was nothing there. No email. No links. Nothing other than a black screen. Weird.

He contemplated deleting the comment and before moving on. Instead, Ethan decided to work on a new post. If the comment was still there tomorrow, he’d decide what to do with it then.

The next morning another comment appeared.

“Why does your God permit suffering if He possesses power to prevent it?”

The question was one he had heard asked a gazillion times. Who is this character?

Ethan thought before he answered publicly.

“I don’t know all God’s reasons, but I know He entered suffering Himself through Jesus Christ.”

Several minutes later a reply appeared.

“We have reviewed your Scriptures. This answer is unique among known religious systems.”

Ethan stared at his iPad screen.

He’d never encountered any readers role-playing online, at least not on his blog. Something about this felt odd.

Over the next month, the mysterious Visitor-7A9-Orion returned daily.

The questions ran deeper and more difficult theologically.

“Why would the Creator assume biological form?”

“Why would omnipotence choose weakness?”

“How is sacrifice considered love?”

The exchanges became the most-read content on Ethan’s blog. Naturally, some readers thought it was a marketing stunt. Others suspected artificial intelligence was behind the mysterious stranger. A few claimed Visitor-7A9-Orion was an angel.

Ethan wasn’t sure what to believe. As a Christian, he knew about angels and demons and he was keenly aware of the challenges of artificial intelligence. He wasn’t sure where extraterrestrial life fit in his theology.

Then came the email. No obvious sending address. Only the text Ethan presumed was typed on a computer.

“We have reached your planet’s outer system. Arrival estimated: 173 of your days. We seek understanding before contact.”

Ethan felt a cool sweat break out on his brow. He wanted to laugh but couldn’t manage.

Attached to the email was an image. Ethan didn’t believe what his eyes were seeing.

Three days later, NASA released the same image to the public. An object impossible to comprehend in size, moving toward Earth.

The entire globe erupted as world governments scrambled and Earth’s best scientists debated. Religious leaders, including the Pope, issued statements.

Ethan sat in his study staring at his iPad.

A new email arrived.

“Among your species, you were willing to answer.”

His hands trembled as he typed.

“Who are you?”

The response came instantly.

“Travelers. Learners. We have encountered thousands of intelligent civilizations.”

A pause.

Then another message.

“None possess a story like yours.”

Ethan leaned closer.

“What do you mean?”

“A Creator who enters His creation. A King who suffers. A God who dies for His enemies.”

Ethan had no words.

Finally he typed:

“That’s the Gospel.”

Several minutes passed.

Then:

“If this story is true, it changes everything.”

Ethan smiled.

“Yes, it does.”

Months later, when the enormous vessel settled into orbit, humanity expected demands, threats, and declarations of superiority.

Instead, the first transmission received by every nation on Earth contained only one sentence:

“Tell us more about Jesus.”

And for the first time in human history, the most important missionary on Earth was a Christian blogger sitting in a small room with a mug of coffee, a worn, well-read Bible, and an internet connection.

Family, the preceding story is a tale of fiction. A what-if more than a who-done-it, if you will. Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave your comments below.

Until my next post…

Be salty, stay lit.

Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™