2 Corinthians 13:11-14
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all!
Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11-14
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.
13 All God’s people here send their greetings.
14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Let us pray:
Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - we thank you that you meet us in love,
carry us with your grace and bind us together in fellowship. Now open our hearts to your word. Speak to us – so that we may recognise you better and live in your peace. Amen
These words at the end of the second letter to the Corinthians we know well: ”The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all!” We hear them almost every week. They are familiar to us - like a fixed rhythm in our church service. Today, on the feast of Trinity, they invite us not only to confess the triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - but also to experience him anew:
as the loving Father,
as the gracious Lord Jesus,
and as the Holy Spirit who unites us.
Before Paul pronounces this beautiful blessing, he gives his congregation a few final words - thoughts that can also accompany us today. We have just heard them.
1. Rejoice!
Paul starts simply: „Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice!“ That sounds nice - but also a bit challenging, because you can't just switch on joy like you can a light. If I'm not feeling well, if worries are on my mind - how can I be cheerful? That's why this sentence is not an order, but an invitation. An invitation to change our perspective. Not to look at what is difficult - but to look at what sustains us.
„And the God of love and peace will be with you.“
God loves you. And this love is not just a nice saying - it is the reason and source of true joy. You are not forgotten. You are supported. You are precious in his eyes. You may not feel this joy immediately today - that's okay. But perhaps you can remember a moment when you experienced God's closeness. Someone who helps, a good word or a prayer that has sustained you. Joy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. Joy means: I am not alone. God is there - with his love.
2. Strive for full restoration, encourage one another/ Be reproved, be admonished
Paul's next sentence sounds even more unpleasant: ‘Be reproved, be admonished.’(other translation)
None of us likes to be criticised. And yet we need people who speak to us honestly - lovingly, compassionately, in the spirit of Christ.
„….the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.“
If we live by the grace of Christ, then we know: I am not better than others. I am a person with faults, with sins, but also with hope. And that is precisely why I can allow myself to be corrected - not out of shame, but because I want to grow. In some churches, there is a climate of silence - nobody wants to offend the other person. Or the opposite prevails: harsh judgements, without love. Both hurt. Both cause loneliness.
However, Paul invites us to something else: to a church in which we can be honest with each other - because we know that we all live by the grace of God. That is why we can help each other - without being know-it-alls. We can also accept help - without feeling small. This creates a community in which we don't have to hide what isn't going well. Instead, we lift each other up like brothers and sisters.
3. Then Paul wrote: „..be of one mind, live in peace.”
This does not mean that everyone has to agree on everything. It does mean that we know who our centre is - Jesus Christ.
„….the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.“
The Holy Spirit unites us. He creates space for diversity - and yet unity. He helps us to be honest - but also loving. He gives us the courage to speak up - and the patience to listen. In a church that is filled with the spirit of God, no one is overlooked. Everyone discovers their gifts, and we serve one another. There is room for reconciliation - genuine peace that is not superficial but goes deep.
The Trinity - a blessing for our lives!
Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday - the feast of the Trinity.
It reminds us how richly God meets us:
- As a Father who loves.
- As the Son, who forgives.
- As the Holy Spirit who unites.
All of this is contained in the blessing with which St Paul concludes his letter - and with which we often begin our sermons:
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you - live by this grace that sustains you.
May the love of God be with you - rejoice in this love that supports you.
May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you - stay peaceful in community.
Amen.
Let us pray:
Triune God, we thank you for your living word. Let your grace, your love and the fellowship of your spirit be felt in our lives. Lead us in peace - today and every day.
Amen.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.