PASTOR’S CORNER, Rex Petty, Faith Tabernacle Church, Liberal

One day, a little 4-year-old girl began playing like she was in church.  She role-played through the singing, the sermon and then proceeded to act out the Lord’s Supper.

Her mother was just around the corner observing she had done everything nearly perfect, except when she got to the part of the communion cup.  Her mother overheard her say “And Jesus took the cup and gave thanks for it and said “Fill it up with Folgers and wake ‘em up!”

On a sleepy Monday morning – June 19, 1899 – a man named Louis Klopsch had a “Folger’s coffee awakening.”  While writing an article for the Christian Herald magazine, which he owned in Brooklyn, New York, he came upon the words of Jesus in Luke 22:20 – “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood”.

Knowing the blood of Jesus shed was red, suddenly the idea came to him all the words spoken by Jesus in the Bible ought to be colored red.  Up until this time, Bibles were in black print only.  Klopsch thought “Why not a red letter Bible with the red words to be those of our Lord?” One of those verses in red print is “I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in me will live even if he dies.” (John 11:25). These words of Jesus in red print are the true story of Easter.

Klopsch’s God-inspired idea spread quickly – the first red letter Bible sold more than 60,000 copies and his printing presses were running day and night to meet the demand.  Even President Theodore Roosevelt was so impressed with Klopsch’s idea, he invited him to the White House for dinner!

As a dedicated Christian man, Dr. Klopsch had a motto that, when he died March 2, 1910, was published in the New York Tribune:  “Do all the good you can for all the people you can.”

Peter Marshall, former chaplain of the U.S. Senate from 1947 to 1948, once said in a sermon:  “I wonder what would happen if we all agreed to read one of the gospels until we came to a place that told us to do something, then we went out to do it and after doing it…began reading again?  Why don’t we do what Jesus says?  How exciting life would become were we to being living according to His way of life!”

The only thing left to say is “Amen!”