![[Photo with a title superimposed]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/blessed_good-bye.jpg)
| The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. |
| —1 Thessalonians 5:28 |
As family gatherings wind down following the many holiday celebrations, one of the more difficult aspects is saying good-bye to family and friends after a wonderful time of fellowship. It’s always hard to say good-bye to those we love. Even when we know we will see them very soon again, when people hold a place in our hearts, it is wrenching to say farewell.
The Apostle Paul recognized how difficult it was to say good-bye, even when he was writing a letter to people he wanted to draw into the fellowship of God’s love and grace. Paul had deep affection for the ones God had placed in Paul’s charge. Even the folks in Rome, whom Paul had not had the opportunity to visit in person, evoked within Paul a strong bond of love.
In response, we find, time and again in his letters, that Paul says good-bye in a way that extends a blessing to those from whom he is parting. He does this as a final way of encouraging them in their faith and sealing the bond of love that he feels for them.
We find one of these blessed good-byes at the end of the Book of 1 Thessalonians. Notice what Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, 28:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give
thanks in all circumstances; for this
is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies
with contempt but test them all; hold on to
what is good, reject every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify
you through and through. May your whole
spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one
who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Christianity, the belief in the life-transforming power of the living Lord Jesus Christ, transcended traditional divides among peoples. The Jews typically had nothing whatsoever to do with the Gentiles in a social context. Gentiles were not invited into Jewish homes. Every contact between a Jew and Gentile was guarded carefully to avoid any “contamination” that the Gentile might bring to the Jew.
But in Christ, all men and women, boys and girls, were now on an equal footing. There was no longer any divide between Jews and Gentiles. In fact, not only was the divide abolished when the veil of the temple was torn in two at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, but Gentiles were grafted into the family that heretofore had only been populated by Jews, with a very few notable exceptions.
Jews and Gentiles were now brothers and sisters in Jesus. And, this was a wonderful family bond that Christ had wrought through His unfailing, undying love.
As we go forth into this new day, let’s rejoice that we are a part of this great family of God. It’s a family that God has created out of all humankind. For it is God who has drawn those He has chosen to belong to Himself. He is the one who has chosen the ones who will become drawn irresistibly into His mercy, grace, and abiding love. We can rejoice that we are numbered among those who believe and who belong to God and to each other.
