The day begins with the sound of the postman depositing something in your mailbox. Do you even wonder what it could be or do you just assume – it’s another advertisement or worse yet another bill to be paid?
I was recently going through some of my Mother’s keepsakes and what amazed me most of all were the letters she had kept all these years (some over 75 years old). As I read them, I was so touched to be able to see my Mother as a young woman, away from home at school, corresponding with her friends about the things young women share. These letters meant a great deal to me (as I see her handwriting and remember her with great love and admiration and yes longing for the day I will see her again) but imagine how important they were to her that she would keep them all these years.
Can you relate? Maybe you too have treasures tucked away that your son or daughter might read one day – or more likely maybe not. Why? Because it seems that the art of letter writing, for the most part, has gone by the wayside with the advent of – email, skype, texting, facebook etc. I don’t mean to diminish how wonderful it is to speak to someone over the phone lines or to receive emails or texts but for me the arrival of a letter or card in the mail tops them all.
Over the past 2 years, I have been blessed with 3 faithful friends who write to me often and the day those letters arrive I am so touched and appreciative. These are letters I am now tucking away as keepsakes and pull out every so often to reread.
So how does this topic fit into this blog post? The focus of this website is looking at our world today with an eye to considering if there are “Good News Answers” to some of our problems. Let’s take some time to consider our Bible. In part, it is a collection of “letters”, written by men inspired by God almost 2000 years ago. I think about the letter to the church in Rome by Paul, the apostle who hoped to visit but had important information to share prior to his arrival. It is said that this letter is the most comprehensive and systematic statement of the Christian faith in the Bible. It was and continues to be foundational in our teaching and study. I ask the question – where would we be today without this letter?
Paul wrote many other letters including those to the church in Corinth revolving around the theme of problems in Christian conduct as well as information concerning his upcoming visit. He wrote to the Church in Galatia to instruct the readers regarding false teachings and to combat 2 enemies of grace (legalism and perfectionism). If we were to go on throughout the New Testament we would continue to see how Paul used letters to teach and instruct – to chastise and to encourage. Perhaps the most amazing fact about many of his letters was that they were written from a prison cell. Yes he was imprisoned – not for crimes we might imagine, but for his stand as a follower of Jesus Christ. But listen to his words found in one of these letters – Philippians 1:12 “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” Imagine – no complaining about his situation. No blaming others for his circumstance. Only words of encouragement to the new believers that in essence “God is in control and will work all things together for good for those who are in Christ Jesus” – even unfair imprisonment. I might add even a pandemic!
How I encourage you to pickup a Bible and turn to these wonderful letters – written by Paul, Peter, James and John. Eyewitness accounts of life with Jesus, the Saviour of the World, God incarnate.
I also encourage YOU to pick-up a pen and paper and write to a loved one, a friend, a long ago seen acquaintance who may just need to hear from you. I’m sad to see that this wonderful art is being lost to immediacy – to poor spelling, no punctuation, and at times very little thought or preparation. I know for myself that to sit down and write a letter, I spend time thinking about that person who will be opening the envelope. I picture them in my mind. I will be thinking about what they need to hear – where they might be in their life. Yes – I do use email and facebook but quite honestly I don’t put the same time and thought into those messages. It is usually focused on the thought of the moment – it is a message that must get delivered quickly and most often will be deleted once read.
Where would we be today if that had been the case for Paul, Peter, John and James. Would we know about Jesus – would we have guidelines to follow as leaders and followers of Jesus – would we be inspired daily by these men who were led to God to prepare us with His Word? I think not and how truly terrible that would be.
As I face situations in my own life that are often confusing and disconcerting, I know where I can go for answers and I do each and every day. I can trust the answers I find there – they have stood the test of time. They are found in the letters! That my friends is good news as we face a world filled with problems and huge questions.
I think even today as I write this article that there are some people who need a letter. Some who may have moved away from friends and family – those who are shut in and don’t often have company as well as others who are struggling with health or emotional issues and need to know someone is praying for them or for some a simple need to hear from a friend.
May you too be led by God to take up this ‘lost art’. I can hear even now their joy at hearing the postman and seeing a hand written envelope with their name on it and knowing that inside are words from a friend that they can take out and read often. Let’s revive the “Lost Art”