Partakers of Grace and Peace, Partners in the Gospel
St. Paul in Prison by Rembrandt Our text for today is Philippians 1:2-11, which has already been read. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I would guess that you’ve heard many sermons begun this way. Maybe you’ve heard this phrase so often that you haven’t really taken the time to think about what it means. It sounds like a churchy greeting, something to break the ice. Kind of like when someone says, “How’s it going?” or “What’s up?” But it’s not. Neither is it a signal for you to settle in and for the usher to turn down the lights. Nor is it just a statement about the goal of this sermon, although grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ better be the goal of this sermon and every sermon. And it’s not just a wish or simply information, either. So, what is it? It’s a benediction—a blessing that brings and bestows what it says. It’s a proclamatio...