2 Corinthians 13:11-14 English Standard Version <\/b>Copyright \u00a9 2001 by Crossway Bibles<\/span><\/p>\n 11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love<\/b><\/p>\n and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you.<\/b><\/p>\n 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.<\/b><\/p>\n What\u2019s in a greeting?<\/b><\/p>\n Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.<\/p>\n This is the way St. Paul and the Christian congregations exchanged greetings.<\/p>\n St. Peter wrote similarly:<\/p>\n From Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ\u2014 To God’s chosen people \u2026. <\/i>2 <\/i><\/b><\/span>You were chosen according<\/i><\/p>\n to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ<\/i><\/p>\n and be purified by his blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure. 1 Peter 1:1-2<\/i><\/p>\n From God: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to me to you \u2013 grace and peace.<\/p>\n And as when receiving a gift, the recipient responds: Amen, let it be so.<\/p>\n To be chosen and set apart for holy obedience,<\/p>\n \u2022<\/span> baptized,<\/p>\n \u2022<\/span> forgiven,<\/p>\n \u2022<\/span> and be given wholeness and favor.<\/p>\n This is what it means to be caught up in the life of the Holy Trinity<\/b>.<\/p>\n All of this is summed up in the words \u201cgrace and peace\u201d as used in greeting and blessing.<\/p>\n These greetings and benedictions are characteristic of the community of faith that identifies itself<\/p>\n with Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and Savior, God\u2019s anointed Messiah or Christ, crucified and risen<\/p>\n from the dead.<\/p>\n In the Greek language of the New Testament, \u201chail\u201d and \u201cfarewell\u201d both are derived from the<\/p>\n same word as \u201cgrace\u201d \u2013 \uf063\uf061\uf069\uf072\uf077\u2212\u2212<\/span>to rejoice, to be glad, to find favor, to receive good things.<\/p>\n We say \u201chello\u201d to one another, implying that we are glad to see each other. We say \u201cgoodbye\u201d<\/p>\n implying that we are happy we saw each other and desiring good things for the other. Such<\/p>\n greeting and farewell is not uniquely Christian or even religious.But from the beginning, Christians have greeted one another with specific reference to the<\/b><\/p>\n Triune God.<\/b><\/p>\n The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be<\/i><\/p>\n with all of you.<\/i><\/p>\n And Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.<\/i><\/p>\n What\u2019s in this greeting?<\/p>\n \u2022<\/span> Grace is more than just \u201cI\u2019m<\/i> happy to see you\u201d. It is \u201cGod<\/i> is happy to see you\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2022<\/span> Peace is more than just \u201cI<\/i> have no grievance with you\u201d; it is also \u201cGod<\/i> has no grievance<\/p>\n with you\u201d.<\/p>\n The greeting carries with it the understanding that you and I are not just in relationship<\/b><\/p>\n with each other, but in relationship with God.<\/b><\/p>\n It is even more accurate to say that we are in relationship with each other because<\/i> God is<\/p>\n in relationship with us in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n \u2026<\/p>\n Our Hispanic brothers and sisters are on to something when they greet one another and us<\/p>\n saying: \u201cGod bless you\u201d \u201cDios te bendiga\u201d<\/p>\n . To which the response is \u201cAmen.<\/p>\n \u201d Yes \u2013 so be it–<\/p>\n Thank you.<\/p>\n It carries the same sense as \u201cgrace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus<\/i><\/p>\n Christ.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n Jesus, when he greeted his followers after he rose from the dead, showed them his wounds and<\/p>\n said \u201cPeace be with you<\/i>.\u201d From that moment on, peace was understood in the Christian<\/p>\n community as being God\u2019s gift to the Church through the Spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation<\/p>\n secured by the death and resurrection of Jesus.<\/p>\n In John\u2019s Gospel, we hear Jesus say again, \u201cPeace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send<\/i><\/p>\n you.\u201d <\/i>22 <\/i><\/b><\/span>Then he breathed on them and said, \u201cReceive the Holy Spirit. <\/i>23 <\/i><\/b><\/span>If you forgive people’s<\/i><\/p>\n sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.\u201d John 20:21-23<\/i><\/p>\n Peace and forgiveness are inseparable in Christ.<\/b><\/p>\n Remember Jesus\u2019 words: \u201cPeace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you<\/i><\/p>\n as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage<\/i>. John 14:27 NET<\/p>\n There is no true peace apart from God\u2019s forgiveness received and shared.This is the peace we share each time we gather at the Lord\u2019s Table, setting things right and<\/p>\n greeting each other with a holy kiss, as St. Paul urges.<\/p>\n (Okay, we may not kiss each other anymore,<\/p>\n but whether we shake hands, embrace, or give a prayerful sign,<\/p>\n \u2022<\/span> it is intended to mend fences,<\/p>\n \u2022<\/span> let go of grudges,<\/p>\n \u2022<\/span> restore relationship within the body of Christ before receiving<\/p>\n Communion.<\/p>\n \u2022<\/span> It is putting our prayer into practice: Forgive us our sins as we forgive<\/p>\n those who sin against us.)<\/p>\n Sharing the peace is like washing our hands before a meal, purifying our souls and our<\/p>\n community instead.<\/p>\n We should take the Peace that seriously \u2013 as a matter of life and death \u2013 because it is in giving<\/b><\/p>\n and receiving Christ\u2019s forgiveness, grace, and peace with one another that we share in the<\/b><\/p>\n Trinity\u2019s eternal life.<\/b><\/p>\n \u2026rejoice, set things right, be encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of<\/i><\/p>\n love and peace will be with you.<\/i><\/p>\n Such intentional concern for the community of faith is not optional but is integral to the<\/b><\/p>\n Christian life of obedience to Jesus.<\/b><\/p>\n So, we greet each other as brothers and sisters in Christ — Not as a matter of piety or being holy<\/p>\n rollers, but as the experience of being caught up together in the life of the Holy Trinity<\/b>.<\/p>\n \u2026live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. <\/i>12<\/i><\/span> Greet one another with a holy<\/i><\/p>\n kiss.<\/i><\/p>\n St. Peter urges: Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. 1<\/i><\/p>\n Peter 5:14<\/i><\/p>\n The community of the Church \u2013 the body of Christ \u2013 is deeper than superficial like-mindedness<\/p>\n or simple social affinity because it is the dwelling of the Triune God<\/b>. When we greet each<\/p>\n other with God\u2019s grace and peace, or with a holy kiss, or with the blessing of God, it is \u2013 quite<\/b><\/p>\n literally \u2013 the God in me greeting the God in you<\/b>.<\/p>\n It is the experience of 3-dimensional love \u2013 God for us — I for you, and you for me.<\/p>\n This is the experience Jesus prayed for: Father, The glory you gave to me I have given to them,<\/i><\/p>\n that they may be one just as we are one\u2014<\/i><\/p>\n 23 <\/i><\/b><\/span>I in them and you in me\u2014that they may be<\/i>completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as<\/i><\/p>\n you have loved me.<\/i><\/p>\n People of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus is talking to the Father in the Holy<\/b><\/p>\n Spirit about us.<\/b><\/p>\n Jesus is even now in this moment shaping our hearts and minds to BE that living image of<\/p>\n himself risen from the dead. He is opening our eyes to give us the vision to see him in each other<\/p>\n person. Jesus is setting the table and inviting us to share in his eternal life as we receive into our<\/p>\n bodies his body and blood for our forgiveness, life, and salvation from sin and death. He is filling<\/p>\n us to overflowing with the grace and peace of God our Father, so that we become \u2013 here, today \u2013<\/p>\n the community in which the world can see the good and gracious God who is ready to have<\/p>\n mercy on anyone who calls on him.<\/p>\n Let us rejoice to be caught up in the joyous life of the Holy Trinity.<\/b><\/p>\n In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.<\/p>\n \u00a9The Rev. Beth A. Schlegel, STS<\/p>\n pastorschlegel@live.com<\/p>\n St. Peter\u2019s Lutheran Church, York PA, USA<\/p>\n Christ Lutheran Church, Manchester PA, USA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Holy Trinity, 31 May 2026 | A Sermon on 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 | by The Rev. Beth A. Schlegel 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 English Standard Version Copyright \u00a9 2001 by Crossway Bibles 11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26345,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,157,334,853,108,110,398,349,3,109,395],"tags":[],"beitragende":[],"predigtform":[],"predigtreihe":[],"bibelstelle":[],"class_list":["post-26352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2-korinther","category-beitragende","category-beth-a-schlegel","category-bibel","category-current","category-engl","category-kapitel-13-chapter-13-2-korinther","category-kasus","category-nt","category-predigten","category-trinitatis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26352"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26353,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26352\/revisions\/26353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26352"},{"taxonomy":"beitragende","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/beitragende?post=26352"},{"taxonomy":"predigtform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtform?post=26352"},{"taxonomy":"predigtreihe","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtreihe?post=26352"},{"taxonomy":"bibelstelle","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bibelstelle?post=26352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}