Devotion - Tuesday, August 10

It is common knowledge, though not always noted, that St. Paul did not write the letters attributed to him. Paul suffered some sort of an infirmity. It is never identified, but it makes his handwriting illegible. At the end of one letter he scribbles a few words, commenting on how large the letters are. Someone else does the “writing”.

At the end of Romans, the person who did the writing for Paul inserts his own well wishes. He pens, “I Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord.”

The rules regarding plagiarism (something taken very serious in the academic community) would allow that the person dictating the letter is the “writer.” So, my earlier comment that Paul did not “write” these letters may be technically correct, but misleading. I apologize; it was intended to be an attention getter. I resorted to such a cheap trick in order to draw attention to this morning’s thought – even St. Paul needed someone’s help in order to tell the story of Jesus.

Who are the people in your life who have helped you? Who are the persons who did the technical work which has allowed you to reflect on matters of faith?

You may be preparing to separate yourself from some of those folks. They may be the family you say good-bye to as you move to Clemson. They might be the Sunday Church School teachers who met with you week after week. Or what of the youth group leaders who planned and prepared for your outings?

None of us come to faith without the aid of so many persons. None of us are able to continue in the faith without the words and encouragement of those who understand what we are still trying to comprehend. Offer prayers for those persons, and if your day allows make one more stop before leaving home to say “Thank you” to that person who has written so much of your faith story.

Tertius isn’t a name I recall. But without his witness, the words of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome would not be available to me. May God help me to be aware of all those who, like Tertius, have faithfully served.