Have you ever thought about what it would be like if we had Twitter or Facebook when Paul was walking around on the earth? I wonder what sort of tweets we would read. I wonder if we would gain any further insight into what they were feeling or experiencing. Perhaps we would learn a bit more about them. But we are fortunate that God has given us plenty to read. Paul wrote at least thirteen letters that are included in the New Testament. In his letters, we get all kinds of insight. Perhaps we are short changed in 2009 with social networks. We rarely write long letters to one another expressing our desires, struggles and dreams. Nevertheless, this is what we have from AD 50. In our text this week (Galatians 4:12-20), we are able to peer into Paul’s heart. He describes his relationship with the Galatian churches. He unpacks how they related to each other and pleads with them to reestablish the bond they once shared. Many times we think of Paul as bold, brash, and uncaring. However, in this text, we see him struggling immensely to help them grow in their faith. He describes his passion for them. My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, –Galatians 4:19 NIV Paul likens himself to a woman in labor. He longs to see his friends living in the grace of Christ. He yearns for them to live in the freedom that God gives. So while we may not have the benefit of facebook profiles from guys like Paul, we do have fairly intimate conversations recorded. We can learn from these writings. We can appreciate their struggles, recognize their relational dynamics, and benefit from their failures. What do these writing teach us? They paint a picture of how Christians related to each other. May we too live in the ‘pains of childbirth’ for one another. May we too struggle ‘until Christ is formed’ in every one of us.