Paper Messages

Each week before, during, or after worship services, a good friend of mine gets little paper messages. He sits on the second pew. He is the "announcement guy." David Pinckley is one of my best friends. He does a good job with all of the church work he is involved in. I do not know what I would do without him. He is trustworthy, dependable, and one of the most compassionate and loving people I know. That is why they give him the messages. People know he will make sure that the news will be made known to the brethren at the proper time and in the appropriate way.

These little notes are sometimes far from little. They often inform of a sudden death, emergency room visits, or some type of accident. Other times, they are reminders about certain function upcoming. They may be good news: a physical birth, a spiritual birth, an anniversary, or a significant birthday. Whatever you can imagine, and also beyond what you can imagine, has been handed to David in the form of these paper messages.

In our lives we recognize the importance of communication. We often not only give notes to others, but to ourselves. We have sticky notes on the refrigerator, in our office, on our school or business folders, and everywhere in between. I even put one in my shower once. Yes, it stuck. We give ourselves these reminders because the matters are very important to us. We know that if we do not remember, there will be problems and consequences. We are trying to make sure about what is important.

Some of these messages have altered the course of history. Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope. Our Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution started with notes on a paper that were organized and then transfered. The whole Protestant reformation began with notes on a piece of paper nailed to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Saxony, October 31, 1517.

It is still more amazing to think about the paper messages that are not man-made, but holy and divine. God chose to leave on paper for us the information He feels is the most important. These are not mere reminders, suggestions, or announcements. They are commands for living that will determine our very eternity. The Pentateuch. The Shema. The Beatitudes. The Golden Rule. These have become to many the most important things ever written. But they are only a part of the paper messages God has left behind for us to understand and live.

In your hand, God has placed a very important message. Read it. Think about it it. Obey it. Announce it to all in the proper way.

"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." ~ Romans 15:4