Saturday, July 17, 1999
Saturday, July 17, 1999
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and fellowship of the Holy
Spirit be with you all.
This benediction follows the order of human experience. We first experience grace, then love,
then fellowship. You cannot know fellowship until you have first known grace. Also we first
come to know the Lord Jesus, then we know the Father and the Holy Spirit. Each of these three
speaks a truth that is vital in our understanding of the divine gift of fellowship.
In the KUDZU comic strip, Rev. Will B. Dunn discovered a new way of reaching his parishioners:
"Brothers and Sisters of the congregation, remember--if you do as I say...you'll get a shiny gold
star on the forehead of your soul...and a `happy note' sent home to the Almighty...or you can
spend all eternity in the `time-out' corner!"
And the character adds: "When you're dealing with spiritual five-year-olds, you gotta tune in on
their wave length."
When we can't relate to the church, we reject our own vital need for worship and fellowship.
Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA
(2 Corinthians 13:13
NRSV)
One of Paul most quoted benedictions is "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of
God, and fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." It is famous for its practical indications
about Paul's belief about God as Trinity. Without hesitation he addresses God as Lord Jesus, God,
and Holy Spirit.
Prayer: God of all, thank you for the wonderful fellowship you have given to me through
my Christian friends. Amen.
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