Galatians #15 - Galatians 6:11-18 - "On The Road Again..."

 

Another week closer and it involves some more travel for the Wolfgangs.  I feel like the Willy Nelson song, "On the road again..."  I don't know if I agree with the next line though. "...I can't wait to get on the road again." One of the members of the church in Wisconsin calculated that I will travel well over 10,000 miles to make this transition.  Traveling mercies prayers please.

Last Sunday we will look at Paul's final words to the churches in Galatia.  He brought them the gospel (good news) message of Jesus and what resulted were churches forming throughout the region.  The letter is to defend that message that our salvation comes from and is in Christ alone.  Christ's sacrifice on the cross was sufficient for the forgiveness of our sins.  The summary statement of the letter is found in Galatians 6:15 (LSB).  "For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation."  Translated another way earlier in Galatians 3:28 (LSB), "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

One of the things I have appreciated about going through this book of the Bible is Paul's affection for the people.  He calls them "brothers" at least ten times stressing the family relationship in the body of Christ.  He also calls them "beloved" at times, those worthy of love.  He finishes out the letter in his own handwriting that apparently was very large.  He adds this as his personal touch to them that it truly is he who is sending this communication to them.

When was the last time you received a handwritten letter?  You think of what went into that effort and also what you have in your hands.  You see the handwriting of another and if you have received many from them, you recognize by the handwriting that it is from them.  In our world of digital, the personal touch is still the greatest way to communicate that you care.  It is similar to my children texting me but sometimes I just need to hear their voice.  In the church, we need to make sure that we are providing a "personal touch" to those who are gathering.  They know us by our "handwriting" and that this has been sent or said because we love them so much.  

Paul, the man whose method is discipleship (walking alongside with others to grow in Christ), who gives them the message of Jesus (the good news of God's grace and peace), relays that message with the motive of love.  He loves his God so much who gave His one and only Son to provide him salvation and he loves others so much to even bear the marks of His Savior to tell them about God's love too.  I pray we mimic Paul's actions as he was mimicking the actions of Jesus.  

And so ends another book of God's wonder love letter to us!

Adam