Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.
Titus 3:15
When it comes to greeting people, lots has changed over the years. For men it used to be a tip of the cap. For women, it was a slight bow or curtsey. Then there were handshakes all around. Men, women, boys, girls all shook hands. And while everyone shook hands, they did it differently. Some gently. Some with great gusto and power.
And then there were hugs and kisses. At least in my circle of friends, there was lots of hugging. Men hugging men. Women hugging women. Men and women hugging each other. There was also kissing on the cheek with family or people I knew really well
Then came the pandemic. And while handshaking was quickly thrown out, its replacement has come with confusion and difficulty. For example, while I like a fist bump with a guy, it somehow seems inappropriate with a woman. Maybe it’s just me.
Now, I look to the other person to initiate the greeting. If there’s that awkward silence when neither of us knows what to do, I’ll break the ice and ask if it’s OK to shake hands. I also always ask a woman if it’s OK to hug her before I do.
But Paul tells Titus to be in the business of greeting. He’s to be a greeting kind of guy. As a matter of fact, there are two kinds of greeting that Titus is to be personally involved with.
Receiving. Since everyone who’s with Paul sends their greetings, Titus is to receive it. He’s to welcome their greetings. With open arms and a humble spirit, he’s to receive their greetings and well wishes. He’s not to be embarrassed about their wanting to welcome him. To pay their personal respects to him. He’s to look at their greetings for what they are; recognition that he’s their brother in Christ and that he’s in service to their savior.
Giving. Titus is also commanded by Paul to be a greeter too. He’s to go out of his way to give his personal greeting to all the brothers and sisters in the faith that he runs into. Yes, he should be friendly to everyone he runs into on the street or in line at the grocery store. But there’s to be something special about the way Titus connects and communicates with people in the family of Christ. Fellow members of the body of Christ.
The idea of greeting people isn’t to be connected with getting something in return. We’re not to be friendly and greet people just so people think we’re nice people. Or that they owe us something because we’ve been friendly and took the time to greet them.
Now it sounds so very nice that we should greet one another. But for some of us, it can be really hard. Why can we be friends with one another? Why can we be friendly with one another and greet them? The answer isn’t blowing in the wind. It isn’t in a political party that wants to force people to do stuff. And it certainly isn’t on the internet.
No, the answer is in Paul’s last sentence. The answer is grace. It’s all about grace. God’s grace. Grace is that part of who God is where he leans out to us. He leans into us. He reaches out for us. Grace is God lovingkindness that we don’t deserve. That we can’t earn.
And why does he do it? Because that’s who he is. It’s not to get anything out of it. It’s not to receive thanks or anything else from us. Remember, God doesn’t need anything from anyone else. Grace is where God acts with tender mercy towards us. It’s not about what he’s going to get. But because of what he’s able to give. There’s an old hymn that says it so well
Sin and despair, like the sea-waves cold, Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater– yes, grace untold–Points to the Refuge, the mighty Cross
Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin![1]
So, what’s our response to this gracious God? Like a loving Heavenly Father, he reaches out to us. We’re his child that he was willing to die for. Our sin was so terrible and costly, only a sacrifice made by God himself could be enough to bring us back into a completely transparent and intimate relationship that we were made for.
Our response it to come to him right now. Not after we’ve tried to clean ourselves us. Not after we’ve paid our debts. No. Our coming is right now – just as we are[2]. And with our coming, his heart is filled with compassion. He does the running. He throws his arms around us. He does the kissing.
Isn’t this the kind of God you’ve been looking for all your life? We’ve tried doing it all on our own and made a royal mess of everything.
As we end the book of Titus, let’s all get up and start walking toward our gracious Heavenly Father. The one who loves us. Who’s looking for us. Just waiting for us to start walking towards him. That’s all he’s looking for. That’s all he expects or requires.
Noodling Questions:
How can we do a better job of greeting others?
When it comes to connecting with people, are we reaching out to new people?
How can we walk towards our Heavenly Father each and every day?
[1] Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Julia H. Johnston (1910)
[2] Just as I Am, Charlotte Elliott (1835)
Comments