Prayer To Offer Others The Blessing of Grace, Mercy, and Peace From God Our Father and The Lord Jesus

 Yesterday we were thinking about Saint Paul and how he identified himself as someone who was an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.  That’s who he was when he stuck out his hand to someone and said, “Hi, my name is …”

Along with that Paul usually had a greeting. Now I don’t know about you but we somehow are avoiding greetings in many places in our busy lives – well particularly urban lives.  We almost try to not make eye contact with others on the street or on some path where we are walking.  It almost feels intrusive and impolite. 

I know I recognized a difference when I moved from Vancouver just a few minutes down the road to New Westminster – which has more of a smaller city or town atmosphere.  Instead of people getting on and off the elevator and saying nothing, there was usually a greeting when another person got on and even if that was missing, there is a greeting when the person gets off.  I like that.

Before the pandemic we’d have lots of greetings and hug or handshakes or smiles – lots of ways we were connecting.   Then the pandemic hit and we had to stay apart.  We’d wave to one another or not our heads in their direction.  We could bump elbows if we dared get that close to someone else. Our smiles got covered up with masks.  None of that was an improvement, from my perspective.

So here we are, at the one year mark here in British Columbia since the first case of covid was diagnosed – I think yesterday was the actual day – a long time apart from one another and today I hope that we can bridge the gap a little by looking at the wonderful greetings Paul always gave his friends. 

Right after his introduction of himself Paul would usually say something like, “Grace and peace,” or “Grace, mercy, and peace.”  The most often phrase I found that he used was, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

What is grace?  Here’s someone’s definition that I like:  Grace is the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not necessarily because of anything we have done to earn it

We could all do with a few doses of love and mercy given to us – not because we necessarily deserve it or have done anything to earn it – but simply because the person – in this case, God, wants us to have something good and lovely and life giving.

How are we approaching others we know well, or those who we hardly know; those we like or those people that bring out the worst in us?  Are we doing all we can, in God’s power to offer them love and mercy simply because we want them to have something good today?

I wish I could say that I was doing that, but I can’t.  Oh there are people like my mom that I would gladly do that for at any time on any day of the week.  Then there are others I’d just like to avoid, not think about, not really have much to do with.  And I wonder, how much of God’s grace and peace am I squandering by my own small mindedness?

You know, it’s not even something I have to feel for the person.  I just have been gifted by God, as Saint Paul was, with grace and peace FROM God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  God loves these folks and wants to bless them.  Will I pass it on to them in His name?  That’s all we’re asked to do. 

Loving God, thank you for how generously You have given grace and peace to us.  It really didn’t matter to You if we were doing all that great that day or not – just that we turned to You and wanted to know You were with us and were caring for us.  How many many times has Your love quieted our hearts in the middle of stress and aggravation and given us peace.  We’re so grateful.

Today Lord, we want to live as Your representatives and that’s to be aware of Your grace and peace active in us and filling us, and then as You make us aware of others in need of the same, to pass it along from You.  Lord help us to give generous measures of grace, and mercy, and peace as we listen to Your heart for people and remember the amazing price Jesus paid for people when He died for them on the cross.  Use us today, Lord, to give clear witness to Your heart of grace and peace offered to anyone today who will receive. Amen

Well, you know I mention my mom lots because I respect her and admire her witness as a person who is blind, confined to her room in a Long Term Care facility, and yet every day is speaking to anyone who comes into her room and tons of people on the phone about the goodness of God.  You know, we write daily meditations and put them into monthly booklets that are free to folks and every month right now I have to send more to my mom because as she has carers read the meditations to her and they are touched by them, she offers them their own copy and many of them are happy to take a copy.  Just one small way my mom offers grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  What might you and I be able to do?