The Biblical Purpose of Holy Greetings
By Laura Bailey "Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance." Jude 1:2 A friend jokingly commented that she bet the post office knew me by my first name. She referred to my tendency to send a letter through snail mail, and her words touched my heart. I began thinking about times I'd spent hours picking out a special gift, laboring over each written word, and carefully selecting stationary and stamps to make someone feel special. Instead, the only communication I was engaging in recently was firing off a quick text, liking a post, or delivering a distracted "How are you?" between tasks. Recently, I began studying the letters in the New Testament. As society is flirting with the complete abandonment of handwritten letters, I am fascinated with these ancient notes that compile much of the second half of the Bible. I've wondered if churches today would have taken encouragement and reprimands to heart if delivered as "you've got mail" over a handwritten note. On the other hand, there's something about holding a piece of paper, studying the author's script, and the ability to read the words repeatedly that electronic delivery can't compete with. Of course, letters were one of the primary sources of communication during Bible times. Specifically, with the New Testament writings, letters were meant to be read and then shared with other churches. In my studying, I began noticing the greetings of these ancient writings. | 
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