Greetings

Have you ever needed to give a speech to an organization or a gathering of people you don’t know? Have you spoken at a conference? How did you address your audience? Was it a formal address? Did it feel awkward? Did you model it after Paul’s opening to his letters?

Public speaking can be a challenge for many of us. If you are an introvert, it can be downright scary to speak to a large group. If you are an extrovert, it can still be a challenge to stay focused and ensure your speech is coherent, well thought out, and well received. Yet, it can be overcome.

The Apostle Paul spoke to many people in many different locations. Today, we might call him a traveling preacher or evangelist, though he sometimes stayed in one place for a couple years. In his letters to the churches, he uses a formal greeting. Perhaps he did so for the benefit of those who may not know him. Perhaps he wanted them to remember who he was so the letter was given credibility.

Though we don’t write letters much anymore, we can still include a greeting of peace to those we meet and in our emails. In some churches, time is taken to pass the peace of Christ to one another. This models Paul’s greetings to the churches he wrote to. It may seem silly to some, but it is an acknowledgement that we have God living within us as the Holy Spirit and that we desire God to bless those we greet.

Blessing others with the grace and peace of Christ is always a good thing to do. It may not be the stylish thing to do, but if we do it from the heart, the other person will be blessed. A greeting of grace and peace can soften the most hardened person and get the conversation started with a good attitude.

I pray we all choose to greet others with grace and peace. I pray we greet large groups with the peace of Christ. I pray each one of us knows we carry the grace and peace of God in us by the Holy Spirit. Pass along the peace of Christ. Greet others with peace. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak through you.

1 Corinthians 1:2-3 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.