18 I,
Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my
chains. Grace be with you. Colossians 4:18
This letter is personal. While the majority of the letter was
transcribed by Paul and written by another, this final greeting is directly
from the bound hands of Paul. It is a common close for the apostle…
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine;
it is the way I write. 2 Thessalonians 3:17
Two more short closing sentences hand written by Paul. First, remember my chains. How would you want
to be remembered? For Paul, it wasn’t his conversion count, the churches he
planted, his beautifully written words. It was his chains. The length he would
go to make the mystery of the gospel fully known. His joining of Christ in His suffering.
It is a reminder of the sacrifice of following Jesus and making the gospel
known. Paul counts it as a blessing, not something to be pitied.
Finally, grace be with you.
The sign off from Paul. Paul’s opening and closing blessings include grace. It
is the essence of the gospel…
Grace
to you and peace from God our father. Colossians 1:2
The opening, grace imparted
TO them as they are fed with God’s inspired Word. The closing, grace WITH them as they continue in the
everyday of life. Grace when they get up, when they do their job, when they
hang with friends, when they discipline their kids, when they succeed, and when
they mess up miserably. Grace that was
given TO us now lives WITH us.
The letter
complete. Rolled up tightly and handed to Tychicus and Onesimus. Packed safely in
their satchel with provisions for the long trip to Colossae. Possibly a few tears. Covered in prayer, no doubt.
In this day of
instant communication via a multitude of channels, it is hard to grasp how special
these letters are. They can’t just FaceTime Paul with a question, or shoot a quick
text to Luke asking him for advice, or post a message on Demas’s Facebook
account to encourage him to stick with the ministry. It was a slow process of
penning a letter, hand delivering it hundreds -- even thousands -- of miles
away, and then waiting for word to travel back. But I imagine it brought a savoring and careful consideration and study
of each and every word. Something that is lost in our time of information overload.
I have to say, I’m quite sad as the letter comes to a close. It
has been such a blessing to slowly, verse by verse go through this powerful
letter, rich in doctrine and instruction. I pray I will treasure these words
and reflect on them often. And in all things, seek first and always the things
above.
Grace be WITH you. Amen.
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