Christ the King, a detail from the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck. St Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent.
“1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ”
Romans 1:1-7
“Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:7b).
This past week I was engaging Scripture with Katy in discipleship and we were both struck by this greeting. It’s so commonplace in Paul’s letters and when we hear it we hardly stop and reflect on the words, let alone how to receive such a greeting when it’s used in our gatherings. But this verse deserves pause before moving on to the rest of Paul’s letter.
Grace and Peace.
Grace/charis in Greek and Peace/eirene are powerful words to conclude this epistolary introduction. Charis can denote “unmerited favor” but it can also refer to the transformative power of God given in and through the Holy Spirit. To put it another way, grace can refer to God coming in mercy to help us.
Eirene is the Greek word sharing similar meanings to the Hebrew word shalom, “total well-being, completeness, wholeness.” Peace is what’s extended to us as Jesus is our Immanuel (God with us) who reveals God’s love, heals us of our sin, establishes the Kingdom, liberates us from broken systems, and shuts down religion so that we can share in God’s Life. His resurrected life brings grace and peace.
These 7 verses have so much packed in but one thing that stands out is the centrality of Jesus. The person and work of Jesus is explicitly named or described directly and indirectly 15 times in 7 verses. This is certainly a helpful reminder that the Gospel in 1 word truly is JESUS.
So when Paul says to the original audience and to us, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” he is proclaiming and offering a blessing of both the Father and the Son as equal members of the Godhead. He’s also offering us, the called/set apart, holy people of God literal grace and peace as reminders of the saving faith we’ve received from Jesus our King.
Grace and Peace.
This coming Sunday, November 20th is called Christ the King Sunday. It is the day in the Christian Calendar which concludes Ordinary Time and begins Advent. On Christ the King Sunday we celebrate the true kingship and lordship of Christ…his universal reign which leads us into Advent which focuses on His second coming, as well as invites us back into the story of his first coming.
As the Crucified and Resurrected King, I like to imagine grace and peace are what he dispenses and bestows on the world with his nail pierced hands. Our King sits on the throne victorious over death and evil, yet still bears the scars of his submission to death. It is by these wounds we are healed physically, relationally, emotionally, spiritually.
Grace and Peace.
These things bring all people together, Jew and Gentile, for reconciliation under Christ, enabling us to receive saving faith. This faith reveals the righteousness of God which begins and continue to work its way in and through us as we continue to submit and follow Jesus our King. We become more of what we already are as Paul says, “To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:7).
So as we approach Christ the King Sunday this week and gather for All Community Gathering let us remember whose we are - servants and children of Christ the King. Let us receive these words with thankfulness and humility as ones who have been given grace upon grace, as well as true peace in our lives from our Creator and our Redeemer.
So I leave you with this…
To all in Evergreen who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Derik
11/13/2022