Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” What a way to begin a letter! Perhaps, like me, you receive voluminous e-mails daily, many unwanted and unsolicited. Yet I also receive personal notes that, despite the intervention of a machine, provide a sense of connection to distant friends and colleagues. Some of these letters close with “Grace and peace.”
Today a common practice in many Christian churches is “the exchange of peace,” or “passing the peace.” In my Episcopal church, we exchange peace with the words: “Peace be with you” or “The peace of the Lord be with you” as we clasp hands, hug, or even plant a “holy kiss” on the cheek of the other person. At the end of the service, a deacon sends us into the world with the words: “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” In offering peace to others, we also point them to the incarnate Christ, who is our peace.
The church in Thessalonica grows and flourishes, despite problems and hostility from non-Christian Thessalonians. What an inspiring portrait of a Christian church! Paul is moved to offer prayers of thanksgiving to God for this vital community. Like the Thessalonian Christians, we too can flourish through grace freely given to us by God through Jesus Christ. We are enabled to live a life of faith, love, and steadfastness, especially during times of suffering, hostility, and persecution. Grace renews, transforms, and leads us to wholeness.
Just think of what could happen not only in our congregations but in our world if we demonstrated abundant faith in God and love for one another.