Love Letter

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/082516.cfm

1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Matthew 24:42-51

My brother wrote me a striking letter a few months back. The reading from Paul today reminded me of it. The letter from my brother had another purpose than his deeply personal communication that struck me, somewhat akin to Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians. This is true of most letters. Beneath kind phrasing and calls for blessings and peace a letter usually is meant to deliver a more practical message with some other necessary motive.

Seldom do we write a letter of encouragement with that purpose only in mind. Usually, we have something else to write about, and we include encouragement within the lines.

Within that other purpose from my brother, though, encouragement appeared to be the point. Pillowed in his writing, like little tasty rolls, nestled sincere words of encouragement, clear statements of his love for me, and a message of connection that both affirmed and confirmed that my desire to be loved by God was certainly taking place.

The affirmation that God loves me did not lie buried beneath that other purpose, but boldly fit me within the fellowship of Jesus Christ as part of his motive for the letter. He went so far as to secure me among the holy ones that testified to his name. Yes, it was remarkable. My brother turned a letter into a blessing itself. He made it holy. He broke bread with me, basically, kneading into shared food, all the ingredients of a rich, nourishing meal that would sustain me. 

As you can imagine, that letter now establishes him as my favorite sibling. 

Much of the correspondence we receive is written to tell us that our immediate response, along with several hundred dollars, comes due and payable in 14 days. Others are written telling us about starving children who depend on $1 a day to stay alive. “Surely, you can spare a dollar,” such appeals confirm. 

The vast numbers of letters we get from the post office often wish us well, hope we are having a good day, and sometimes even fearlessly call for God’s blessing and grace upon us.

Quite a few bits of mail arrive monthly to inform us of a change in interest rates on our credit cards, or new rules in our investments and insurance policies. As I review my desk, I realize that most letters I get, in fact, are about money. Sheesh. My relationships managed by the postal service or delivered through the digital post into my electronic mailbox primarily deal with fiduciary and financial interactions or contracts.

That’s all fine and well. Our lives are full of these things. But letters like the one from my brother is what I live for.

There’s a similarity between letters and meals. They are practical, necessary parts of daily life. But both are opportunities for recognizing God’s involvement in our joined lives, our important camaraderie and essential dealings with each other. God knows this. They are the very liturgy of combining the Word and the Eucharist.

My brother’s letter told me how much he appreciated me in the context of our brotherhood in Jesus. I had asked him to write a reference letter for me, sort of. I asked him to vouch for me. I needed his help. Since it was a letter that others would read, I trusted my brother would stand for me. 

His kind words struck me. I wasn’t expecting his kindness, even though I had unquestionably asked for it. And that, I finally realized, marks the fulcrum point for the delivery of encouraging words, and serving up the nourishing blessings of fellowship in Jesus Christ.

Ask. And when asked, deliver.

God puts us into relationship with each other for the very purpose of service, of sharing his offerings of love. That’s kind of obvious, but more emphatically, it is crucial to God’s design. We desperately and intimately need each other because that’s how God wants it. Our hunger for God’s love, for God’s attention, and for God’s blessings draws us to each other. Not because that’s how we get God’s attention, blessings or love, but because God wants to gather and draw us together. It sounds circular, and it is. He wants us holding onto each other, attending to each other’s needs, and calling out to each other. Because that’s who God is.

He communicates with us, and wants us to do the same with each other. Communicate. He lives within us and wants us to eat together. God is sensual, touching us physically with all our senses. He asks us to do the same — hug our friends, arouse our shared memories with smells and sounds, and entwine with our spouses in ecstasy. He wants us verbally and digitally attached, with lingual links that seal our relationships and catapult us along. 

It may look like a minor point, but the difference between simple platitudes and genuine divine-like kindness defines our place in the cosmos. It’s that big of a deal. We either hand out cliches in order to smooth out our contracts and obligations, or we feed and nourish each other and reorder the space time continuum. 

“Have a nice day,” in our goodbyes to each other, and “I hope this letter finds you well,” in our communications, establish basic conduits. These common phrases recognize that we are connected to each other, and say so.

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” in our hellos to each other, and “I give thanks to my God always on your account,” in our communications? These fill our conduits with flowing love. 

Our inclusion of friendships within the fellowship of Jesus Christ will keep us “firm to the end,” as Paul sates.

So, my dear friends, and my brothers and sisters, you are holy reminders to me of God’s active presence. My brother has taught me a wonderful lesson. I’m sure he knows it. You lift me up so that I can see Jesus coming to me. Your desire for the Spirit’s guiding moves me along with you on the same path. 

As Paul says so well:

“I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, 
that in him you were enriched in every way, 
with all discourse and all knowledge, 
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, 
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift 
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Cor:4-7