Here we are again, we ourselves, and you, in another semi-live broadcast of Outposts, brought to you from the beautiful, benevolent cascading banks of the Ockluhwahhah River.
In much of Christian tradition, it is true, there are a lot of deep things to consider, but i’ll be the first to say, i’m totally not a traditional person nor do i personally feel the need to follow tradition in order to know Jesus or to be right with God. Tradition in this case simply means, my interpretation, “This is what we always do.” In fact, Jesus had a something to say about the detriment of the “traditions of men” in Mark 7:7-8 “They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
Paul also had something to say about traditions in Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”
!BUT! Not all tradition is wrong or would lead us to become divided. There is also something to be said for some things which we call tradition. One tradition in our faith is the Salutation and Benediction, and i thought it would be interesting to think on this fun-to-consider topic.
Salutations and benedictions, the words we use to open and close dialogue. How we begin and end is as important as how we do the in-between of all our interactions.
A salutation and benediction is an utterance of good wishes, the form of blessing pronounced by an officiating minister at the closing of divine services, or by friends at the arrival into fellowship or at the parting of ways. A salutation is the bestowing of blessing and greeting and a benediction is often employed as the blessing, extension of hope and conclusion. They are like bookends.
i have a habit, when parting company with friends, i typically say something like, “Be strong and courageous”, or, “Jesus knows your name and never let that out of your sight.” Those are a type of casual benediction. Until now i never realized how often i do this.
Think about it. Do you have similar little things you typically say when entering or leaving the company of friends? Do you extend to them, in words, some wishes of goodness, encouragement, or the pronunciation of a blessing of some sort? Or do you you, as a benediction just say, “Bye”, and leave as if you couldn’t wait to get away from there? Well, if we’re honest, there have been times most of us have just said just “Bye”, but as I hope you perceive, that’s not exactly what we’re talking about.
There are many salutations and benedictions in the Bible as examples of how to open or close a conversation or a meeting. Many are truly a little stiff sounding to me, maybe even too official, but they are examples we can adapt and tone down as needed. Here’s a benediction i’m sure we’ll all recognize taken from Psalm 121:7-8: “May the Lord preserve you from all evil: he shall preserve your soul. The Lord will preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
As i just said, i realize that’s probably a bit, how should i call it? The word “stiff” comes to mind, not to mention it’s pretty religious sounding, but you get the idea. Most of us leaving our friends after a time of conversation and coffee probably would not say things in that order but maybe more subtly, like, “My friends, know it is GOD who guards you from every evil; He guards your very life, coming and going, just like He guards you now, and always. I’ll see you later.” Even that sounds a bit stiff and religious. i’d probably shorten it up while keeping the theme.
Other times, as we wave good bye, we might say, “Lord bless you”. That’s a type of casual benediction. Salutations are similar, like in Matthew 28:9, Jesus said, “all hail”, meaning something like, “Good morning!”. It’s an impersonal way of saying, “Be cheerful!” or “Good to see you!” i must admit that a few times i did try opening with the greeting, “All hail”, and people looked at me like i was crazy. i figured a simple “hello” was probably better next time.
Here is an interesting salutation which I found in Luke 1:26-29, “In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.”
The angel of the Lord opened his salutation by saying “Greetings” which in Greek it’s the same word Jesus used in Matthew 28:9 for “All hail” or maybe “Good day!” or “Hi there!” I had to chuckle at the part where Mary was “greatly troubled at his words and wondered, what in the world kind of greeting is that?!” The word there for “troubled” means “wholly disturbed”. (chuckle) Evidently it was a greeting quite different than what she was used to in her culture, not to mention it was spoken to her by an angel, which i would think would shake anyone up. Either way it was the introduction to tidings of gladness and joy with a prophetic word to follow as you can read in the following verses if you’d like.
When meeting our relatives in Christ, or exiting from them, what are your salutations and benedictions? There’s a great deal to be said in how we enter and exit the room which can set the tone for the next meeting. How do you enter and exit when among friends?
i suppose we could say, “Exit, stage left” but that benediction is just a little comedic and too loose. Here’s another benediction from Romans 15:13, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Or more in today’s vernacular, “May the God of hope fill you up with joy and peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!”
Do you think people would remember us differently if we took the time to express to them that kind of desire on their behalf when leaving? Notice how Paul starts his parting words with the word “may” or “moreover”, which is a way of expressing his desire of possibilities on behalf of those to whom he had written the letter. Paul points out that salutations and benedictions with his own hand were the way others would know it was really from him. In 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 he gives his final greetings, which would be his salutation and benediction, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” i suppose he wrote that because there were those who accused him of not being genuine.
Do you see it? It’s about how we treat people. It’s how we come in and go out of the congregation. I don’t mean we should make long salutations or benedictions necessarily; people would think we were a little too grandiose, or maybe just more self-absorbed and unbalanced than they already suspected. But consider yourself to be something of a statesman, well spoken, easily understood, someone who puts others at ease, and obviously has blessing and prosperity at heart for others. How we express ourselves to other people is part of expressing the gospel to the world. It’s not just “what” we say, but also “how” we say it. My wife advised me one time that, many times, our ability to be heard can turn simply on our tone of voice and facial expressions. We can say a hard thing softly with a gentle smile and be heard, just like we can say a soft thing with a hard tone of voice and angry demeanor, and not be heard, at all.
A salutation is a greeting. According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, it’s an act of paying respect, and expressing kind wishes, and that is sincerity of heart type of kind wishes, not the fabrication of a facade. In his definition of salutation, Mr. Webster made it a point to write, “In all public and private addresses, use the forms of salutation, reverence and decency.”
God wants us to grow up and be mature believers, to walk circumspectly; meaning to take all things into consideration, watchful on all sides, and that includes manners, conduct, and conversation. Exodus 23:13 says “And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect”, with “circumspect” meaning to take all things into account. Let’s break down the idea of being “circumspect” a little more. In addition to “taking all things into account”, it is also acting with caution, thoughtfulness, and discretion. It involves carefully considering consequences, avoiding rash decisions, and weighing risks. To say we are acting circumspectly means we are cultivating understanding that leads to right action, and even promotes wisdom. That is a lot to take in, but it’s applicable none the less.
I realize the topic of salutations and benedictions seems like an odd topic maybe, but what I’m getting at is to encourage us all to be the statesman, the emissaries who God is bringing us to be, and that is an honor from God and a diligence on our part. Being a statesman of sorts doesn’t come over night, no one wakes up in the morning full of statesmanship. No. It comes from the Lord alone and is a learned thing.
A few years ago i realized God was calling me to a deeper understanding of people, who they are, what they’re about, their habits, their fears, hopes, and dreams. Honestly, i was uncomfortable with this but the Lord “made me to know” that if people made me uncomfortable then my discomfort started with myself, because after all, i was a people also. i didn’t have a “them” problem, i had a “me” problem. i felt He wanted me to be a better communicator and to have a deeper understanding of what i meant when i spoke, and how i communicated what He said. Slowly, i began to realize how often i did not look or sound like someone anyone would want to talk to.
So, i enrolled myself in a local Toastmasters club. In case your not familiar with Toastmasters, it is a learn-by-doing workshop in which participants hone their speaking and leadership skills in a no-pressure atmosphere. It was an excellent adventure in learning how to communicate in more than just words. Friends, personal presentation is also part of communicating. Not only have the words of the Lord to share, but present yourself as someone others would want to talk to.
All that to say, simply put, the Lord wants us to be better communicators, He wants us to learn to be well spoken, able to communicate not our heart, but His, with the words He uses and with the attitudes of His Heart. We, as the Body of Christ, need to learn to give away Christ in us with all His intents and purposes. i want people to catch what the Lord has, not what i have. If you have met me alone then nothing was gained, but if you’ve met Jesus, ahhh, now you’ve got something. No one ever got healed because of my name. No one ever was delivered because of who i am. So with all my heart, i want to communicate Jesus to a lost and dying world in the most effective way possible, which means i need to learn to speak more kindly, smile more often, and present myself as friendly. i want to confer blessing and encouragement on people who are drowning in a world of despair and hopelessness. Listen to me, in a world cloaked in despair where real and imaginary shadows suffocate hope, for many, each step feels like wading through tar, heavy and unrelenting. We can not fathom the war going on in the hearts of people around us, where dreams dissolve into a gray abyss, and laughter is no better than a distant echo. We need to know that without Jesus, hopelessness binds like chains, pulling people deeper into silence. Yet, within that darkness, is Jesus who, to many, starts as a faint spark in the thickening gloom and calls to whomsoever to rise, and breathe again.
i want to make sure i communicate e-x-a-c-t-l-y and o-n-l-y what is on the Lord’s heart, and to do that, one thing i must learn is to become more well spoken and to be a better communicator. And for all of us, we don’t want to be so easily misunderstood because we are poor communicators who didn’t take the time to learn to effectively give away what God has given us. My friends, neither should we be so mystical no one can relate to us.
In John 20:19, Jesus greeted the apostles. He didn’t just say, “Hi!”. He spoke a salutation that was more meaningful, short, and concise, an image of comfort. He said, “Peace be unto you.” My guess is when Jesus said “Peace to you” there was also peace imparted to them. Not only was it a greeting, but a declarative. In vs. 21 He repeated His salutation and declaration, “Peace unto you: as my Father has sent me, even so send I you.”
Learning the structure of scripture is just as valuable as the content. Everything, everything, everything in our Bible, from cover to cover is important because God never says or does anything for nothing, which is why salutations and benedictions are what i call, a fun-to-consider topic. There are no extra words, or surplus people, nor are there any irrelevant stories or themes.
My friends, that makes good sense. Think about it.
Salutations and benedictions are joyful, unifying calls to faith; words of assurance. The words salutation and benediction mean to say good, to voice goodness, the goodness of God which is based on Truth, not just facts, it is voicing the goodness of God based on The Principle Himself, God. Wade Tisdale wrote that “Goodness is the inevitable result of the certainty and righteousness of The Truth who is Christ, God, who is all good and there is no shadow in Him.”
i’m Social Porter and this has been Outposts. This production has been brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, Louis Williams & Sons, Morris Kaplan, Kevin, Tommy, and Perry of the Mebane Freedom League, Area 22 Guitars, Ada Huntley of Justus Pharmacy, Joy way out in Crooked River Ranch, Sisters Coffee, and Trinity Bakers, the sweet spot on main street where there’s always something good in the oven.
Come let’s go together and become the well spoken statesmen God has called us to be. Let’s all be better communicators, not just for ourselves, but so our family, friends, and the world around us would better understand us when we open our mouths.
i must draw this evenings program to a close and i’ve chosen probably one of the most well known benedictions of all time to end with. It’s from Numbers 6:24-26 – “The Lord bless you, and keep you: The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” What a beautiful way to part company, wouldn’t you say?