“Though I have many things to write to you, I don’t want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face so that our joy may be complete.” – 2 John 1:12

Travel during the time of the New Testament was no easy task. Unless you were one of the wealthier people, almost all travel was done on foot. Since travel was done on foot, trips usually took many days and, with very few inns available, nights were spent asleep along the road. Bad weather, sickness, and thieves were always a threat. But even with all that, early church leaders like John, Paul, and Peter made great effort and sacrifice in order to visit the different churches and meet with brothers and sisters face to face. There was something about this that made their joy “complete.” They knew that pen and paper could never take the place of being in the presence of one another.

Compare that to our modern day. For the most part, we have begun to prefer phone calls, online meetings, and texts to being in one another’s presence. Be honest, when was the last time you emailed someone simply because you didn’t want to actually sit down and talk to them? This should not be the case with brothers and sisters in Christ. Coming together should create in us a kind of joy that could never be accomplished through a phone call or an email. Not all of us can afford to fly across the country to be with family this holiday season. But we can go to church, take that brother out to lunch and see how he’s doing, or invite that young family over to our home. The heart of Christ is a heart that brings people together. Are you missing out on a whole new level of joy because you are neglecting the call to come together?

Heavenly Father, fill us with a desire to be together. Give us a passion to be with one another for support, accountability, and encouragement. Let us experience a kind of joy when we are face to face that can never be accomplished over a smart phone or a computer screen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon