To the churches of Galatia and to a church near you….

Galatians 1: 3-5

To the churches of Galatia and to a church near you….

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

The introduction to the Galatians gives us an insight into the importance of the two main aspects of our lives as disciples; the personal and the communal. Paul writes as an individual and as part of a community. He also writes to individual persons and a community (see verses 1-2). Likewise, we receive the Word of God in these two ways: as individuals and as a community of believers; these are the two interdependent elements of discipleship. You cannot have one without the other.

Paul’s prayer for this group of churches and disciples is for them to receive the gospel of grace and peace. The question is will they receive it? It is the gift from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a gift of freedom; setting us free from meeting our individual and communal needs our own way. We have a tendency to please ourselves, become introverted and self-obsessed; always trying to keep up with the demands of a society gone mad with greed and its own self-importance.  This is the will of God; this is the good news! We have been set free from these destructive, self-obsessed values, attitudes and beliefs through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We don’t get our freedom because we deserve it more than others; we get it because we are valued by God our Creator Redeemer as He values all of His creation.  To know this is to receive the peace that we are loved, highly valued and set free to live in the community of peace together. Will you join me in a community of peace free from the self-centred obsessions of the society in which we live?  May we live in the peace of Christ and glorify God through being transformed individually and collectively into a community of peace.