Bruce Stewart, The Buloke Times

At the end of the 19th century, people communicated by radio using morse code, transmitting dots and dashes that trained radio operators could decode into a message.

A Canadian inventor, Reginald Fessenden, changed all that.

On Christmas Eve, 1906, Reginald Fessenden made the first radio broadcast in history. Imagine the tap, tap, tapping of the morse code and suddenly the human voice was heard for the first time. This human voice told of the most exciting news ever shared with human beings, “A Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord”. Luke 2: 11.

These are the first words spoken on radio in human history.

Disasters

Are these words still relevant to us 2000 years later? You bet they are! All of us experience the uncertainties and challenges of life. This year – 2023 – there have been tragic disasters leading to enormous distress, injury and death. War in the Ukraine and Middle East has impacted the world, we have increasing lawlessness and violence on the streets, road rage and relationship breakdowns. Is there any hope as we face the challenges and the storms of life? Let me share a story with you.

Twenty years ago in a Melbourne hospital a doctor said to Tim, our twenty year old son, and myself, “Tim we are going to take you to the point of death many times; our treatment for this cancer is barbaric but it is all we can do at this stage.”

Leukaemia

Tim had just been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and I remember the pain of my heart as I heard the treatment protocol for this cancer was about 132 weeks or approximately 2.5 years.

What a journey lay ahead of us! So began one hundredplus trips to the day oncology section of the Austin hospital and coping with weeks lying in hospital beds.

Tim had over 70 blood transfusions and 21 infusions of chemo into the spine via lumbar puncture and brain radiation which made him horribly sick.

My wife and I and son Paul lived 250 kilometres away from Melbourne where Tim was studying. We are so grateful to many people from the local church Tim attended in Melbourne and other friends who formed a transport roster for Tim’s near daily trips to day oncology and they also helped in so many other ways.

So many times in the treatment journey Tim faced death. Back in those times, the early 2000s, 40 per cent of people with this cancer were alive after 5 years; 60 per cent died. Tim had been close to death when first diagnosed, his blood platelet level had dropped so low blood was oozing into his mouth.

Tim’s own response was amazing, he calmly accepted his situation and steadfastly set out on this huge journey of over 800 days of treatment. I still remember the time months down the track and Tim was being wheeled out of the hospital ward room on a trolley, his temperature was reaching up to 41.6 degrees Celsius each day and multiple infections wracked his body as the chemo had driven his nutriphil to 0.0. The doctors were concerned that infection had got into his heart valves. As Tim was wheeled out the door for scans he had a smile on his face and said, “It’s all in God’s hands, Dad . . .”

Care

We are grateful for the treatment protocol and the care of so many medical people and friends and the prayers of hundreds of people and finally the treatment finished 800 days later. In the meantime, Tim had finished his Bachelor of Teaching at Melbourne University while undergoing treatment (the final year of treatment was a lot easier than the first) and had gained a teaching position at a school. A “storm” in life like this reminds us of the preciousness of the words proclaimed by an angel to a motley group of despised shepherds 2000 years ago.

“A Saviour has been born to you: He is Christ the Lord”. Twelve wonderful words of joy and hope which we share at Christmas.

Tim had many opportunities to talk about his faith in Jesus Christ, including one time to the whole student body at the Melbourne University residential college where he had resided.

There is nothing like facing death to get people asking the big questions of life, “Where have I come from? Why am I here? What happens after I die?”

Cambodia

Tim celebrates the gift of life now with his wife and three children and is currently serving as a teacher at the Hope International school in Cambodia.

It is only in knowing and following the Christ of Christmas that we gain answers to the “why” and “how” of the journey of life. This Christmas might we stand amazed at the God who gave up His heavenly home to be born as a child, live as a man, die as our Saviour and rise as our Lord and King.

Thank God for the angelic proclamation of 2000-plus years ago, “A Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord”. Have a happy and holy Christmas. 

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 19 December 2023.