It’s not just that I’m stuck on the first 14 verses that comprise the opening of the letter. I can’t get past v.2! After he introduces himself (not that he was a stranger), Paul writes in v 2, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Two things stick out to me about this greeting.
First, I like the fact that Paul took the standard greeting of the day and changed it. In a typical greeting of that time, you would have opened a letter by saying – guess what? - “Greetings!” But Paul changed this to “grace “– an idea that likely presented itself to him because those two Greek words look very similar. By simply altering a few letters, Paul poured simple but meaningful Christian truth into a generic greeting.
Then as if that weren’t enough, he added the word “peace” which was not part of the standard greeting in Greek letters. In fact, it was a Hebrew greeting, which Paul imported from the Old Testament and his Jewish background. The word he used is Greek, but it is a translation of "shalom", which means not only “peace’’, but a complete sense of well-being.
In marrying grace and peace at the very outset of the letter, Paul expressed unmerited divine favor, and not simply the absence of strife or separation between man and God but a full, satisfying relationship. In other words, he expressed the very heart of the gospel.
Pretty heavy stuff for a simple greeting! But one of the lessons for me here is that Paul sought to infuse everyday things with God’s truth. The most basic tasks of our lives can be elevated and transformed by seeing and doing them from God’s vantage point and for His honor. An email or conversation with a friend or colleague can be a conduit of grace. Showing care or kindness to someone can be an act of worship. Extending hospitality can practically be missionary. After all, it is not in the mountaintop experiences or the big events where we will most acutely sense being in synch with God’s rhythms. It is in purposefully sanctifying the mundane and often tedious things, dedicating them for His glory and for Him to use as He wishes, even if we never see the end result (and we often won’t).
Second, Paul’s greeting is a model for how to communicate with those around me. Grace and peace are extremely loaded, powerful words, and they remind me that in another letter, Paul said that we should make sure our speech is laden with grace (Col. 4:3). That should be how people perceive us. When I am gone, it would be great to be remembered as someone who spoke grace and peace into the lives of people around me. I’m not entirely sure that would always be the case. But that’s the goal.
Sometimes I think it would be useful to keep a diary for a week, in which I record and reflect on the communication I have each day with family, friends and co-workers, whether verbal or written. What would that show me about my real self (as opposed to who I like to think that I am)? Would it reveal me to be a complainer? Am I often negative? Have I talked anyone down? Does it tend to be about me and my own needs or wants? Do I try to impress?
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have not kept such a diary. But after all, I have a reason: I don’t think I’d like some of the things I would discover.
Our speech is supposed to be full of grace, Paul says. This means that every opportunity to interact with someone else is an opportunity to speak grace and peace. To build that person up. To say what may be the first affirming thing they have heard all day. To encourage. To sympathize. To laugh or rejoice with them. To tell them you will pray for them. To share the love and the hope that Christ has given you. Whatever the situation calls for. The point is this: am I aware of my calling to speak grace and peace into people’s lives, as God has spoken them so deeply into mine? Will I put myself aside in that moment, and focus on them?
I would love to hear what you think, or if you have experiences to share that illustrate these two truths. But that’s enough for now.
To anyone reading this blog – I wish God’s very grace and peace to you.
Grace. Peace. They are great words to stop and meditate on, aren’t they?
