Greetings, May the Lord Be With You!

 The young girls smile kindly at passing strangers as they skip down the sidewalk. The strangers’ faces beam as they grin back and reply, “Good Morning!”

Ear buds dangle as a young woman jams to her tunes while simultaneously tapping away on her phone’s keyboard. As the children saunter towards her, she smirks at their sing-song “Hellooo.”  Her shoulders relax, her steps slow, and she leans forward to admire the dandelion puff jiggling to and fro in the tiny hand.

 

A man in a business suit lumbers pass. Loud angry words blare out while he listens to his blue tooth ear piece.  When the children bounce into his path waving their small hands,his voice softens and he nods in response to the young ladies.

 

When children say hello, smile, and nod at people, it brightens their day. True Courtesy and friendliness chases away the shadows. These young girls demonstrate how we should greet all God’s people in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:21).

 

Courteous words and polite expressions are always in fashion. So, dear one if no one has told you yet today…. Good morning, Today is a glorious day that the Lord has created! Be joyful and rejoice when the Lord places people in your path.

 

In the Sermon, Mutual Benediction, W. M. Slatham stated, “You may be
ineloquent, but you can bless with a look.”  The young girls prove that a cheerful face blesses everyone they encounter.

 

Even if you’re too nervous to look at a stranger or stumble searching for the right greeting, don’t fret. Your gestures of grace fills the heart with gladness.  Our spirits lift when pleasant acquaintances sweeten our daily routine.

 

The bible records several greetings.  My favorites is when an angel of the Lord greets Gideon: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”   The angel honored him as a mighty warrior before he ever held a sword (Judges 6:12). Words are powerful to encourage, strengthen, and inspire.  Often we tend not to believe in ourselves. However when God calls us, He stands beside us victorious. All we need to do is step forward in obedience.

 

Another favorite greeting is when an angel spoke to Mary,  “Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:28). In both greetings, the angel reminded them “The Lord is with you.” This simple truth comforts the soul and dispels all fear. Dear one, The Lord is with you too. We are highly favored sons and daughters of the King.

 

Boaz  greeted his farmhands, “The Lord be with you.”  His workers responded to him in return,”The Lord bless you (Ruth 2:4).”  Matthew Henry describes this verbal exchange as mutual love and kindness among different ranks of people. If you employ people consider how these types of blessings could affect the office atmosphere. As an employee I would be pleased to hear these types of addresses, and would be encouraged to respond in kind once my boss established the precedence.

 

Last but not least, let’s look at the final greeting of our Lord, Jesus Christ, while he physically stood in the presence of the disciples! Jesus greeted them by saying, “Peace be with you,” (John 20:19).  According to Matthew Henry, the doors had been shut by fearful disciples, but Jesus silently entered. He comforted his disciples both with his words and with his presence.  Their hearts soared at the sight of him. Think about the people you encounter throughout your day.  Do their hearts soar when they see you? Are they
comforted by your words?

 

On the website, “Business Etiquette: How to Make A Correct Greeting (July, 2014), Crista Tharp advises to make eye contact and smile. She reminds us to use people’s first name and tell them it was nice to meet them.  While we often do this at work, imagine if we also followed these actions at the restaurant, grocery store, and even Wal-Mart. Would the waitress be encouraged? Or the cashier’s spirit lift? Perhaps, the door greeter would respond in kind if we dared to whisper a blessing in passing.

 

Remembering people’s names can be difficult and potentially embarrassing.  The painful struggle waiting for it to pop into your mind any minute feels awkward. Kristi Hedges mentioned a few tricks to help remember names in her article, 5 Best Tricks to Remember Names (August, 2013). Read their name tag and ,repeat their name either during the conversation or near the end. If they aren’t wearing a name tag,ask how they spell their name. If it is appropriate ask for a business card. People feel valuable when you make a point to learn their name.

 

Here’s a prayer for you:

 

Heavenly Father, Good Morning. Thank you for the Glorious Day that you have created.  We rejoice and praise your Holy name. Thank you for the flowers, children, and kind strangers that you have placed in our path. Help us to greet everyone with a kind look and pleasant expression. Thank you Lord for always being with us.  Give us courage to bless people with the phrase, “May the Lord be with you or may you have peace today!” Slow our steps today Lord, so we may take the time to encourage the one who so desperately needs you today.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen

 

Take Action:  Greet the people you pass today and learn the name of someone you encounter today.

 

If you greet the people you pass today, I’d love to hear your experience. Feel free to leave a comment. I’m eager to hear if you made a new friend today through the process!

References:

 

Hedges, K. (August, 2013). 5 Best Tricks to Remember Names. Forbes Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2013/08/21/the-best-five-tricks-to-remember-names/#2e64617c501f

Tharp, C. (July, 2014). Business Etiquette: How to Make a Correct Greeting. Retrieved

from https://www.workitdaily.com/business-etiquette-correct-greeting/

Slatham, W.M. (Sermon). Mutual Benediction. Retrieved from

https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/statham/mutual_benediction.htm

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