Some of you have noticed that we sign a lot of our correspondence with 'Grace & Peace' before our names.  The Apostle Paul began everyone of his letters with those words, 'grace and peace'.  It was an interesting twist on the standard greeting in greek 'xarin'.  Instead, he says 'xaris kai iraynay' - grace and peace.  I got to thinking, What if we always started everything with grace and peace?  What if in our approach to each other, in our greetings and parting ways we began and ended with the foundation of grace and peace?  Of course grace and peace have become words that sound churchy but really have lost their impact in my opinion.  Grace - iraynay - means God's undesevered favor and love to you, God's goodwill, which he has always had for you, may you experience that.  It means joy, satisfaction, fulfillment, contentment, every good thing.  And Peace - iraynay or Hebrew shalom - meaning peace and wholeness in every way, mind, body, soul, spirit - these which God freely gives you through Jesus - grace and peace - may they be yours.

As God's people, we speak grace and peace - our words remind each other of the foundation of who we are to the core of our being.  We need grace and peace - we need to remember that its not all on us, that we have oneness with God and that informs our interactions with people.  We interrupt with grace and peace - when we hear a friend or spouse down on himself or beating herself up we speak grace and peace - we don't let them go down that road.  Christ has already been down that road for us - grace and peace.  We tell ourselves grace and peace - in those tense situations, in those situations where we normally blow it, or when we become to inward focused and looking at all our faults and junk instead of giving it over to the one who has nailed it to the cross - grace and peace.  We ARE grace and peace.  If we, the Christians, will not be grace and peace to our neighbors, friends, spouse, children, relatives, whoever - than who will?  We see lots of great stories of people who do great things to make a difference - to help people - to serve.  How much more do we who bear the name of Christ, who have experienced grace and peace in such abundance - how much more are we called upon to be grace and peace to the world - to anyone with whom we are in contact.

So - Grace & Peace to you.