If you want to know what truly matters to a person, listen to their final words.
When all the baggage of life is stripped away, what remains is the absolute heart of the matter. It’s the stain in the bottom of the coffee cup!
These are Paul’s final words to the congregation in Corinth. And for the past 18 years, wife Mary Ella and I have turned to these words to inspire our mission teams traveling to the Navajo Reservation in Arizona.
It is a verse we’ve lived with, prayed through, and preached on dozens of times, yet every single time we return to it, the Holy Spirit uncovers something brand new. It’s found at the end of the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth.”
Most translations give us the standard, familiar benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” But Eugene Peterson’s translation in “The Message” stops us in our tracks by adding three beautifully descriptive adjectives that capture the staggering reality of our faith:
“And that’s about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. Greet one another with a holy embrace. All the brothers and sisters here say hello. The (amazing) grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the (extravagant) love of God, the (intimate) friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.”
— Corinthians 13: 11-14
As orthodox Christians, we believe in a Trinitarian God. We’ve never believed in nor worshipped three gods, but one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe in one God who reveals Himself in three distinct persons with differing functions, yet operating in perfect, eternal unity.
And in this final apostolic blessing, Paul reveals that this triune God has laid down three basic foundation stones for our faith — amazing grace, extravagant love, and intimate fellowship/friendship.
Remember “what a friend we have in Jesus?”
We’re not here to defend an abstract, academic doctrine. We’re here to step into an aid station in the midst of the battles of life. We’re here to discover pastors are not called to lead an army of armored warriors wielding swords of judgment, but an army of medics — men and women filled to overflowing with this Trinitarian blueprint beginning with ...
“The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ;” where grace is defined as “God’s unmerited favor and blessing.”
Charles “Buddy” Whatley is a retired United Methodist pastor serving Dawson Street Methodist Church in Thomasville, Ga.
