Grace and Peace to You

1 Corinthians 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The opening of 1 Corinthians  is used by the Apostle Paul to reminds us of a time when the pace was slower, and perhaps more thoughtful in our interactions with one another. Think about it. How do you greet someone you know today? Is it a simple “Hello” or a “How are you doing?”  Or perhaps it is a simple “Hey.”  In all the aforementioned case they are simple greetings and not what was customary long ago. Greetings have evolved, or devolved depending on your perspective. Shakespearean era greeting were flowery and verbose in most cases. If you are a fan of J.R. Tolkien, the Middle Earth greetings usually included a reference to the father of the person being greeted. But today, greetings are certainly not what they once were. Our standard of civility has changed. One might even say it has lessened to a degree.

And when we consider 1 Corinthians 1:3 there is little doubt our modern greetings just do not measure up. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. What a wonderful way to say hello, you are a friend, and remember you are saved. You are saved by the grace of God our Father and the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. These are words filled with comfort, hope and peace. This greeting is also a reminder that we should be at peace with ourselves because the peace comes from God. Jesus reminds us of the real peace he gives in carry John 14:27. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  That is the peace He refers to. It is the same peace the Apostle Paul reminds us of in his greeting. Often we hear this same greeting before the message at church. The Pastor will comfort us with this greeting.  It also lets the listener know that the message to follow is to be theologically sound and based solely on the word of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We can be at peace knowing it is not some new revelation. Rather a reminder of what we already know to be true as it comes from the Word of God straight from the Bible.

Let us not also forget to greet others outside of our church family in a warm and compassionate way. Jesus reminds us of that responsibility in Matthew 5:47. “And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”  It’s a daunting task. But if we do not try it, we will never know what opportunities are missed. “Grace and peace to you” is a start. I pray that all of our efforts are well received and bear fruit in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Blessed Father in Heaven, we need Your help in how we live in this world. We all too often are hurried and self-focused. We need Your love to slow down our lives so that we can live as You would have us live in this world that is lost in sin. Help us to share Your love in how we greet and visit with others in our lives. We ask this in the name of Your Son who with the Father and Holy Spirit are one God now and forever, Amen.