2 Thessalonians 3:16–18 (ESV)
Benediction
16 Now
may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
17 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. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Well, it is late and time to work on my blog… and I’m tired! Wow… the reading is short and the closing of 2 Thessalonians. The closing is a benediction. The word benediction means Pronouncement of God’s favor
upon an assembled congregation (Gn 27:27–29; Lk 24:50; 2 Cor 13:11, 14). The Lutheran Study Bible states: Paul concludes his Letter with a prayer for peace and, in his own hand, a blessing of grace. We should imitate Paul in his blessing. We should
pray for peace for others, even for our enemies. We should bless, and not curse, even those we do not like, even those who do us harm (Rm 12:19; 1Pt 3:9). Our prayer for God’s peace and grace in our lives is no mere wish. We do have peace with God and
with one another through the blood of Christ; by the grace of our Lord, this is a peace that passes all understanding and remains steadfast regardless of external assaults by the devil (cf Eph 2:11–21; Col 1:19–20; Jn 14:27).
I pray: “O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that
our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.”
Amen. (LSB, p 233)[1]
With this closing… I’m going to bed. Go in peace.