A letter from Christ

In a time marked by difficulties, it is always gratifying to receive a letter. I don't mean a promissory note, the blue letter, letters of recommendation or other letters that seem incriminating, but a very personal letter written from the heart.

Paul tells us of such a letter in his second letter to the Corinthians. "Are we going to advertise ourselves again? Should we show you letters of recommendation, as certain people do, or should you give us some? You yourself are the best letter of recommendation for us! It is written in our hearts and can be read by all. Yes, everyone can see that you are yourselves a letter from Christ, which we wrote on his behalf; not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not on tablets of stone like Moses, but in human hearts" (2. Corinthians 3,1-3 Hope for All).

Such a letter is glad tidings to anyone who reads it because he or she knows the person who wrote it or on whose behalf the letter was written. He wants to express that you are dearly loved by Jesus and his father. As I write these words to you, guided by the love of Jesus and guided by the Holy Spirit, I am convinced that they are true. These words should touch your heart, your innermost being.

But that's not all I want to say to you: you are a letter of Christ yourself if you joyfully accept God's living word, his love, and pass it on to your neighbors through your behavior and service.

So you are a letter yourself, as Paul describes it above. In this way you express how concerned you are for the well-being of those around you, how you are carried by Jesus' love to comfort those who are grieving, how you have an open heart for the needs and grievances of those close to you. You know that without God's grace you can do nothing on your own. The power of Jesus works mightily in the weak (Rev 2. Corinthians 12,9).

I want to encourage you to allow the living God to continue writing you as a genuine and credible letter. May you bless those close to you by touching their hearts with his love. In Jesus' love

by Toni Püntener