Benedictions - ways to bless

There are some beautiful benedictions in II Thessalonians! One dictionary explains the word benediction as: the utterance of a blessing, especially at the end of a religious service.

Such passages include no ifs or buts or maybes - no conditions with which the listener must comply in order to be blessed. They are like the sunshine, right there for us as soon as we place ourselves in it.

Here's what I found in the excellent The New Oxford Annotated Bible - New Revised Standard Edition, purchased recently from our local Christian Science Reading Room:

II Thess. 1: 11-12 ...our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfil by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

II Thess. 2: 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

II Thess. 3: 16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.

II Thess. 3: 16 The Lord be with all of you.

II Thess. 3: 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

In Paul's day, it was correct etiquette to include these sorts of loving greetings in letters. I wonder if we need to revive the practice today as we greet friends and family, or dash off an email or sms. If not in writing or by spoken word, perhaps such benedictions could fashion our thoughts of others. We would all be blessed by that!

Julie Swannell