“Paul, Silas and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.” (1 Thessalonians 1 v 1)
And now as we close this letter, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (1 Thessalonians 5 v 28)
Isn’t that what this life is about, starting and ending with grace? Forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, life, grace. All we have been given is from God.
The Apostle isn’t speaking only about what has been given to us but what is to come. “May you have grace now and may you go on receiving and living in grace.” And who is grace? Surely it is Christ who will be with us by His Spirit.
Grace is challenged continually across the world by preachers who are concerned about a sinful Church. The fact is the Grace of God is the answer to a sinful Church.
To live by grace means you are not denying or trying to forget the sin in your life, but by allowing grace to expose it you find who you really are. Grace calls you to keep coming back to Jesus. Let Jesus bind up the wounds.
Let grace be with you and with you in the midst of others. Let the community of God’s people be marked by grace words, grace reactions and grace decisions.
Paul and his team sign off with grace. That’s their prayer for the Christians of the church in Thessalonica. The team would continue to serve in Corinth for several months later and there would be a second letter to the Thessalonians. (After Acts 18:5 they are not mentioned as being together again and therefore both letters having come from the team suggest that they are still in Corinth). What follows is still more persecution (2 Thessalonians 1:4) false reporting about the team (2 Thess 2:2) and then the problem of people in the Church free-loading and not pulling their weight which comes in the final chapter. But for now …. Grace be with you.
For all of us, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. No doubt there will be problems to face, that’s just life. But for today, grace be with you. Grace keep you. Grace empower you.
Missions Paul 