May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (1Thes. 5:28)
There are so many options and ways to close a letter. The way a letter is ended very much depends on whom the letter is addressed to, as well as the tone and content of the letter. A letter might end with one of the following traditional closings:
Sincerely,
Cordially,
Respectfully,
Truly yours,
Very truly yours,
Or a letter might be ended in a personal or very personal way. Regardless of which closing is ultimately used, I have come to understand that the way a letter is ended reveals much about the author. A carefully chosen closing also emphasizes and underscores all of the thoughts and ideas communicated in the body of the letter.
My awareness of the importance of closing a letter was heightened after studying the letters the Apostle Paul wrote to the early churches. Paul’s final greetings in most of his letters ended similarly to the verse quoted at the top of this musing. One day as I was preparing for a Bible study, the word grace at the end of each of those letters jumped off the pages; the Holy Spirit pierced my mind and heart. I could no longer skim and speed through the end of Paul’s letters as I had done so many times before. The word grace in Paul’s closings came alive and became a window into both Paul’s soul and mine. Paul understood deeply that all the words penned in his writings were made possible only by the amazing grace of God. He knew to his core that the ideas and thoughts in the letters were not his own, and it was with deepest humility, gratitude, and respect for both God and the churches that he wrote and sent the letters. Paul also knew that it was only by God’s grace that the readers would be able to receive what God wanted to teach them - what He wanted to live in each of the reader’s minds and hearts.
It is in that same spirit in which the Apostle Paul ended his letters that I end each of the musings. They each end with a short prayer for grace. It is a very powerful reminder to me that it is only by God’s grace that I continue to share “Northwoods Musings,” and that it is only by God’s grace that the musings can be meaningful to anyone who reads them, myself included.
This week, I pray that God’s grace (unmerited favor) comes alive in all of us in a new and exciting way.
Grace to you and to me too,
Dave Paukner
