May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. NIVUK

These are some of the best known words in the Bible, although I think it is possible that many people who have heard them, or hear them, regularly, or use them repeatedly, may not know that they come from the Scriptures, or indeed that Paul wrote them.

Also, I can’t imagine that Paul himself could have had any inkling that these simple words of blessing, at the conclusion of one of his letters, would be picked up and used so widely in the church.

Who knows how God might use some small, simple, routine thing that we do in His Name today.

Tom Wright says that Paul’s blessing ‘…sums up so much of what being a Christian is all about; it draws the focus firmly on to the God we know in and through Jesus and the spirit; and it takes the rich practical meaning and the rich theological meaning and turns them together into an elegant prayer. No wonder it has become so popular.’

We will pause over these wonderful words during the next few days, and take time to look at them and listen to them.