Take a letter

So in worship today I used a scripture from 2 Corinthians 3:3. It says:

3You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

What I believe Paul was trying to convey was that whatever is in a person’s heart is a spiritual message that, whether we intend for it to be or not, is a letter to the rest of the world as to who we are as Christians. His plea was for them to be an example of Christ to the world around them.

A letter . . . . I am reminded of a comedian of days gone by, Groucho Marx. In the classic comedy Animal Crackers there is a scene where he wants to distract and confuse people. “Take a letter,” he demands as he tries to get everyone to focus on a threatening letter he intends to write. If you would, take a trip over to YouTube and watch this humorous but none-the-less teachable moment as to what a letter ought to have in it. When you are done, come back over and we’ll talk some more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbbz6pNDOeI

Welcome back! Pretty silly, wasn't? And at the end of the day what did he really accomplish? Nothing.

In the Capitol One credit card commercial they pose the question, “What’s in your wallet?” Well, with that same inquisitive nature, if you are a Christian, what’s in your letter? Does it have a nice envelope? Fancy stationery? A tremendous greeting? That’s all fine, but does it have substance? Does it have content? Or is it full of smoke and mirror moves to distract the reader from seeing who the real you is? Is what is written on your heart something that translates into a letter that will draw someone o Christ?

Lord Jesus, Come into our hearts, flush out the negative, the critical, the cynical and the sinful and replace them with the things that only Your Spirit can write on our hearts. Make it be a letter of warmth, grace, and the pathway to Your salvation when people read us. It is in the power of Your Name that we pray, Amen.