To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace.

Grace and Peace.

Every letter that Paul writes starts out this way. Whether he is on good terms or bad terms. Whether he has met them before or not. Whether he is going to say nice things or mean things. Always the same.

Grace and Peace.

Grace and Peace are in short supply these days, at least in my life. Perhaps in yours too. So let me say to the Church of Memorial in Baltimore, Grace. And Peace.

The Grace of Love: to know that you are loved by the eternal all-knowing and everliving God, and by his Son Jesus.

The Grace of Forgiveness: that you are forgiven for the hurts, pain, worry, concern and fear you have caused yourself and others this week.

The Grace of Humility: to remember no one else is 100% either; we all are hurting right now, and we all need love.

The Grace of Patience: that this election will be over soon. This quarantine will be over soon. This moment will be over soon.

And Peace.

The Peace of Time: to stop, take a breath, breathe and smile.

The Peace of Soul: Which we are all longing for and very few of us have achieved.

The Peace of Mind: to make good responsible choices in our lives, our communities, and at the ballot box.

The Peace of Heart: that we share with those in need, be it physically, mentally, or spiritually.

And of course, The Peace of Christ - which passes all understanding and keeps your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God.

Today. Tomorrow. Forever.