21-22 Give our regards to every follower of Jesus you meet. Our friends here say hello. All the Christians here, especially the believers who work in the palace of Caesar, want to be remembered to you. 23Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves. (Philipians 4:21-23 – The Message)
In today’s society, greeting is just part of social manners that may not have any meanings. When we see our co-workers on a Monday morning, we would normally ask, “How’s your weekends?” We may not be interested in what he/she actually did, but we will ask anyways. Sometimes, we may just continue walking after we have asked a person “How are you today?” without waiting for a response. We do not pay attention to greeting these days. But back in Jesus’ times, greetings is one of the ways for people to get an update of people living afar. Communication tool at that time is very limited. There were no telephones and internet. Sending letters was probably the only way to communicate distanced message. Or people can send message in person. Greetings may mean a lot to people back to the days because this is an opportunity for them to hear the news of a person who they may not be able to see for a long time. Each greeting creates memories and it is telling the person who receives greetings that he/she is remembered. May we learn to send greetings with a more genuine heart and turn it into a more meaningful action.
“Our friends here say hello.”
