Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly. I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you. Greet all your leaders and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings. Grace be with you all.
Hebrews 13:22-25
Saying goodbye can be so very simple. You can end a conversation just by saying “goodbye” and hanging up or walking away. Endings can be quick and easy. All you have to do is say “That’s all folks[1]” like they do at the end of classic Warner Brothers cartoons. But is that enough? It’s not always the right thing to do right.
When William Shakespear wrote “Parting is such sweet sorrow[2],” we all knew exactly what was going on. In that scene, Juliet was telling Romeo that their time together had been great. But now, as they had to say goodbye, there was going to be pain. Not the normal, run of the mill pain, but a very special kind of pain that was different than anything she’s ever experienced.
Listening to these words reminds me of another scene. Not on a stage or in a movie, but in an emergency room. My mom was rushed to the ER because of her failing heart and health. In the words of one doctors, the wheels of her life were falling off. Her 94-year-old body was just not going to make it much longer.
When my dad and I went in to see her, she was just lying there. There were lots of tubes and wires running all over her. She was surrounded by all these electronic screens and devices. They were all in the red danger zone and sliding down. They were telling us what we already knew.
My dad, a very unemotional person, pulled up a chair and sat by her. This gruff and ruff guy reached out and gently took her hand. Through tears of grief, he whispered to her so tenderly about their 70+ years of life together. He then kept holding onto her hand and hung his head and sobbed.
As my dad tried to find the right words to say at the end, so is the writer of this letter. They’ve spent a long time together with the Hebrews. They’ve walked together down a long path. They’ve shared lots of important and moving memories of their people. All the ups and downs of their many years as a nation. And now, how do you say goodbye?
What words do you say that can summarize all that God has done? How can you put so many thoughts and feelings together into a short summary? How can we, just normal people, express who God is? All we’ve experienced together with the Lord.
Well, the writer does. They reach back through all the words that there are and comes up with the one word that can summarize who God is and all he’s done. It’s the word that can accurately describe who God is and how we relate to him. And while it’s a short and easy word, it can be hard to understand.
That one special word is grace. Yes, grace. Not the kind of grace that we say before a meal. Not the kind of grace that describes the way someone walks through life. It’s not the kind of grace that give you extra time to pay a bill after it’s due either. It’s a very special kind of grace.
God’s grace isn’t his sitting back on his throne and waiting for us to decide to come to him. And when we finally make up our minds and come close, grace isn’t his reluctant acceptance of us. Or him folding his arms while he waits for us to do enough good works that prove us being worthy of him. Not on your life.
When it comes to God’s grace, he does all the work. He does all the heavy lifting. He’s the one who searches for us. He’s the one who looks for us. He’s the one who runs towards us. He’s the one who forgives and restores us. He’s the one who kisses us. He’s the one who celebrates when we come back[3].
Another way to think about grace is that God’s the one who reaches out to us. He’s the one who leans into us. He not only calls us, but he starts the whole loving process of bringing us back to him. And while we can’t earn any of this, we have the responsibility to receive him and all he’s done.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
Ephesians 2:8
The writer wants the Hebrews to receive and experience the grace of God both now and forever. Being a child of God is never earned, it’s always a gift from God[4]. Just as the writer wants all the Hebrews to experience God’s grace, I want the same for all of us. Not that we deserve it or can earn it. It’s time to receive the greatest gift in the universe. God offers himself to us. He offers us complete forgiveness. He’s right there for us to receive, but we have to be open and receive all that he’s done for us. This is the best way to start a new life that goes to the very end.
Noodling Questions
Who are the hardest people for you to say goodbye to? Why?
Explain grace so a third grader can understand it.
Why is receiving God’s love and mercy against everything in us?
[2] Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2
[3] Luke 15:20-24
[4] John 1:12
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