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Taken
from the September 2005 parish
magazine.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is interesting to see how people begin and end their letters and
emails. I have a friend who always ends his letters to me
with ‘grace and peace’. There is
something special about receiving such a prayer or greeting.
If we look at Paul’s letters in the New Testament, in each
one he uses a greeting similar to how I have started this
letter. He took the normal opening that people used in his
day and gave it a truly Christian meaning.
Grace
is a word people have written books about.
It describes God’s love and generosity to us, which is far
more than we deserve, and affects his attitude and
actions. Grace is the beginning of our faith, the wellspring
that comes from God himself. It is shown in the gift of
Jesus; it was by grace that he became poor for our sake.
Grace is shown in our calling, we are chosen even before being born
when we deserve nothing. The great thing about grace is that
it is exactly what we need to get the most out of life and be in a
right relationship with God. If we try to earn our way, we
will always fail.
If grace is the beginning of faith then peace is the end.
Peace is much more than the absence of fighting. Peace has to
do with being in harmony with oneself, with God and creation.
It has to do with justice with well being and being complete.
Peace has been described as “the inner assurance and
tranquillity that God ministers to the hearts of believers that keeps
them spiritually confident and content even in the midst of
turmoil”.
It is very easy to see and experience the turmoil around us.
In the world there is extreme weather and terrorist
activities. Closer to home we face difficult illnesses,
vandalism and burglaries. To cope with all adversities, we
need God’s peace.
Grace and peace.
Rev W Henderson
