Preached by Pastor
Riggs on 19 February 2012
Last Sunday in
Epiphany
Mark
2:18-22; II Corinthians 3:1-6
Paul’s analogy about
“living letters” might seem a bit antiquated these days. Not many people write letters any more. If you can't pick up the phone, you send an
e-mail or a brief text message, or go on facebook. I’ve heard that some “tweet” which is what
baby chicks did when I was growing up on the farm. The point is, we still communicate so there
is food for thought in this letter from Paul.
I'm glad that this
analogy of "living letters" was useful in the days when St. Paul was
writing to the Corinthian Christians.
In Paul’s time people often carried letters of commendation to prove
their credentials and to ease their introduction into a new community. Paul had no such letter of commendation. Instead, he claimed that the transformed
lives of the Corinthian believers were his living letters of commendation. He didn’t need ink for this writing -- it was
done by the Spirit “writing” its message in their hearts. In my book, even if we don't formally write
letters these days, this is a beautiful and timeless analogy of the Christian
Faith as a life-style. Our most
meaningful communication is with life itself.
Let's think together this morning about our Christian penmanship-- our
letters from the heart-- love letters to God and to our neighbors. Because I'd like us to have a couple of
handles to jog our memory, I'll use three words all beginning with the letter
C: Conversation, Conduct, and Countenance.
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