Trinity Lutheran Church and School
Rev. Jeff Springer
Grace, Mercy and Peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the text chosen for this year’s class is from 2 Corinthians chapter 13 starting with verse 11. Which begins, “Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints send their greetings. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
Much like the end of this school year this text is taken from the end of the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the troubled Corinthian congregation, so it is filled with salutations. From what precedes these verses in the letter we do not get the sense that St. Paul is saying farewell forever. In fact he does plan to see them again.
St. Paul has struggled with this congregation. This is because the Corinthians are the model congregation for doing everything wrong. They were divided over doctrines, entertaining among them false teachers who were preaching a different Gospel then Paul. They tolerated in their midst sexual immorality.
At fellowship or communion meals they actually segregated some members from others while not distinguishing between common food and that which had been consecrated as the body and blood of Christ. They also put more emphasis on spiritual gifts like tongues rather than love for their neighbor. In addition some accused St. Paul of being a false apostle, saying that he was pocketing the offerings designated for the church in Jerusalem.
Still just as Christ claims all humanity from the cross, St. Paul claims this congregation. He recognizes that through their baptism that Christ called them and made them his own so Paul does not give up and He continues to admonish them and preach the good news to them through this letter. In His final words He assures them of God’s grace.
We too are in need of these words for we too have strayed from God’s word. We are not perfect. We Christians are not of the same mind. We too are divided in doctrine and practice. A large portion of the Christian church tolerates sexual immorality and many do not recognize that they are receiving the true body and blood of Christ at their altars.
Still Christian through your baptism our Lord has claimed you. He has promised to be with you always even unto the end of the world. Through your baptism you have been given the Holy Spirit who calls you by the Gospel to turn away from your self-centered sinful desires and turn to God’s word of promise.
As sinners we fear that God may forsake us because of our sin and rightly so. When we sin against God we separate ourselves from Him and His mercy. When we reject God and His word we no longer fear Him and we reject our only means of salvation.
To be without God to separated from Him is a frightening experience especially when facing death. The only way that these fears are assuaged is to hear the promises of the one who rose from the dead who conquered sin and death for you. “I will be with you always even unto the end of the age.”
As this letter is read to the Corinthian congregation there is a way that Paul is with them and so at the end of the letter he begins the salutations, the farewells, the good-byes. He gives to them some final blessings and graces if you will.
I heard that this verse was selected by the class because this NIV translation has the word “good-bye.” “ Finally brothers good-bye.” Good-bye is an abbreviation of the old English phrase “God be with ye” or as we would say God be with you. This of course is a word of blessing an assurance of our Lord’s graceful and merciful presence with you.
It gives what our Lord has already promised to give, His presence with you always. This assurance is for the baptized, the gifted, who have been transferred from the kingdom of the devil to the kingdom of Christ, so that God is no longer an enemy but is now Father.
But the blessings do not stop there, St. Paul writes, “Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
At first glance this may not sound like a blessing or gift but a to do list. This translation puts the emphasis on you being the actor instead of God and so instead of Gospel or good news it Is interpreted as law. A better translation from the original Greek reads, “be perfected; be encouraged to the same mind; be at peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”
Instead of the word being information for you to act on, it is a power unto salvation. This word is performative. It does what it says. “Be perfected, be encouraged to the same mind, be at peace.”
Just as God said let there be light and there was light, the hearers are being perfected, they are being encouraged to be of the same mind united in the preached doctrine in their hearing. They are given peace because they have heard from St. Paul the truth that sets them free and God is consequently with them.
Graduates and school families shortly we will be saying good-bye to you. For the graduates we say good-bye because you will not be attending here next year but you are moving on to your next level of education. However, this does not mean we will never see you again in fact we hope and pray that you come back to our campus. Know that you are always welcome here.
For the rest of our families we say good-bye for the summer and we anticipate your return to campus in the fall. Through both of these separations, our wish for you as a church congregation and as a school staff is that “God be with you.” We confess and say to you what our Lord already promises, to be with you always. One of His names is Immanuel through Jesus Christ which means God is with us.
We pray that you remember what you have received here. The education that you have received to reach your academic goals and later your vocational goals and the formation you have received through God’s Word. These are truly things to rejoice over.
Finally Christians be perfected, be encouraged to be of the same mind as Christ, and be at peace! Continue to hear and abide in God’s Word for through it He will continue to shape you. He will complete you through it and give you the mind of Christ. We salute you.
Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
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