Grace and peace. With this simple phrase, the Apostle Paul opens his letter to the Philippians. In fact, it’s how he opens every letter we have recorded in Scripture. Grace and peace. Typically, letters of that day would have begun with the Greek word chairein: “Greetings!” But Paul uses two other words: charis – “God’s blessings!” and eirene – “harmonious relationships.”He is saying to these brothers and sisters, “May you come to know the goodness of God in ever-increasing ways. May your relationships be characterized by harmony. Grace and peace to you.”This is how Paul always starts his letters – with grace and peace. It’s as if he is saying, “No matter what else you know or do, if you don’t live in grace and peace, it’s all in vain. Grace and peace are of first importance.” Paul is writing this letter while in chains, a prisoner because of the gospel. Shortly before his arrest, Paul was saying farewell to another group of friends he had spent time discipling. In his parting words, he said this: “…my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24)For Paul, life on earth had one goal: to testify to a skeptical world that the God of grace and peace was real. He knew that hardship was coming, but he also knew that it’s when we suffer or are abused that the greatest testimony can be given.  You never more testify to the grace given to you than when you demonstrate grace to those who hurt you.Jesus showed us that. As he was being crucified, he uttered these words: “Father, forgive them.” Grace in the midst of suffering. Do you have someone who has caused you or someone you love intense pain?  Someone who has in the past or continues in the present to hurt you? What would it be like to be so alive to the grace and peace given you that you could begin to speak grace and peace to them? If we hope to be a community that reaches out and maintains unity, we must, as Paul did, lead with grace and peace. So, how do we maintain the priority of grace and peace? 1.     Stay close to the cross. It is much harder to be ungracious to others when we’re standing in the shadow of the cross.2.     Allow others to remind me to extend grace and peace. That’s why we need community. People we know and trust to put a hand on our shoulder to calm us down and call us back to grace and peace. May you know grace and peace.  May you extend grace and peace.  May we challenge one another to be people of grace and peace.  And may the God of grace and peace flow His power through us as we do that. Text: Philippians 1:1-2 Originally recorded on June 8, 2008, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN

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