PENTECOST X
August 6, 2023
“Write When You Have Time . . . And if You Don’t Have Time, Write Anyway”
It was the summer after high school graduation, a fun, busy time for the little group known as “The Three Musketeers” — my friends Janice and Sharon and I. Jan was working a summer job, planning to go to college in the fall, Sharon was starting a job in a nearby community that she would continue, and I was busy with responsibilities at home and college plans. When our senior yearbooks arrived toward the end of the summer, it hit us how different this last year was. In the past we’d taken our books to school and asked friends and classmates to write little notes in them. So we just wrote to each other; long, rambling, funny and heartfelt notes. And at the end, Jan signed off, “Best of luck always to my best friend” and Sharon signed with, “Write when you have time, and if you don’t have time, write anyway.”
So of course I got to thinking about the act of sitting down with paper and pen, spending time writing and staying connected with the people we care about. Writing may be considered old-fashioned and quaint, but I treasure the letters I’ve saved from beloved family members and friends as I hold them in my hands, reading the familiar handwriting and feeling a connection with them once again.
My trusty Bible concordance led me to several references to writing, the written word, and its significance. In Exodus 34:27, 28b, we read, The Lord said to Moses: “Write these words; in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.”
Throughout the Old Testament, we read of the importance of studying God’s word, meditating on it, learning from it, and living according to its teachings. The Gospel of Luke begins by stating the intent of the writer to provide an orderly account of the life and ministry of Jesus, and the Gospel of John closes with a statement that although much of what Jesus had done was recorded, many other things were not, as “the world could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25b).
Through his letters written to churches, leaders, and other individuals, the Apostle Paul provided instruction and inspiration for those new to Christianity. It’s remarkable how timeless many of his writings are, as we hear the assurance that nothing can separate us from God’s love, and the definition of true love’s patience and kindness. In his letter to the Romans, Paul makes it clear what he and all Christians believe: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith . . . .” (Romans 1:16a) Those who believe are justified apart from works of the law, freed from sin and all that prevents them from being in relationship with God. Faith, too, is a gift from our heavenly Father, as we read in Romans 3:23-24: “. . . since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”
How blessed we are to have these written teachings and inspirations, to feel the passion and joy of the writers, and then to have opportunities to live and share the message of the Gospel!
Reading every word and loving it,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers