On letter writing

A friend of mine recently showed me a letter he sent to someone. It was a letter of encouragement. There was nothing too personal in it that would have made it inappropriate to show to me. As I read, it and rejoiced in it, I thought a bit about the lost art of letter writing. It is easy to text message, ichat or even email these days as that is the standard form of written communication. Quick and easy.

There is something different and perhaps richer for me when I receive a letter. A typed letter with an inked signature, folded on nice paper and stuffed in an envelope with a hand written address. It seems to be more real, thought-out and even "weightier." I can feel the paper as I read and perhaps even get a whiff of the smell of the ink. It is very rich and and makes me think I have value in the eyes of the sender.

Hand written notes are another level. My hand writing is so poor that I avoid them, but when I get one it makes me think, "This person really cares. He sat down with pen and paper and wrote from the heart." Good stuff.

A letter. Maybe this week would be a good time for you to write one and send it to someone you care for. Or maybe it would be a good week for you to read through one of Paul's letters, to the Galatians, Ephesians. Imagine receiving that in your post box!

As you come to worship this weekend I encourage you to think about rich letters delivered. Letters that contain important words and phrases, that speak to the heart from the heart of the sender. One word can have eternal impact on the reader.

The Word, it was in the beginning, became flesh and dwelt among us. Better than fine linen paper and rich ink. Delivered by the Spirit. A word that eternally impacts those who have eyes to see and hearts to read and understand. That is worth writing about.

Blessings