"Greetings"

Acknowledgement:
Hello, Hi, Hey, Howdy

Question:
Rhetorical vs. Sincere
What’s up? How are you? What’s goin’ on? How are you doing?

Blessing:
In our culture, the blessing [if given] is done at the end of the encounter…
” Adios” [to God], Goodbye [God bless you], The Lord bless you, have a nice day, etc

The warm greeting:
A warm greeting can transmit love, concern, and care to a person. Often times people will make a decision on how they feel about a new doctor’s office, restaurant, or church based upon how they were greeted. A warm, loving greeting goes a whole lot further than a flippant acknowledgement does. How we welcome a person in our greeting says a lot about how we feel about them. When a person is greeted with sincere love, they are much more likely to be satisfied with the encounter, and will also tend to be nicer and more open.

During the first century A.D., when a Gentile wanted to give a warm greeting with a blessing, he would often say “charis”
Charis means literally "favor."
It describes one's attitude toward another which is
unilateral, that is, one-sided, not depending upon what the other does.
We translate this word in the New Testament as “grace”

When a Jew wanted to give a warm greeting with a blessing, he would say “shalom”
Shalom literally means “peace”. It reflects a deep relationship between any two people. “Shalom” is used when a person feels a deep concern for a person and wants a relationship of peace with him.

God’s greeting:
“ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” [Romans 1:7]
This “Grace and Peace” greeting is used by every New Testament epistle writer with the exception of Hebrews and James.

When God greets us, it is with sincerity, love, concern and much much more! The nature of this greeting automatically shows His desire for a real, intimate, personal relationship. He doesn’t greet us with “Hey there” or “good day”, but instead with unilateral favor, and a deep desire for peace and intimacy.

Also in this greeting we see how God brings both Jew and Gentile together into one, so that He is clear that He not only embraces the Jew, but also the Gentile. He is saying that anyone who would accept His greeting can accept His free and unilateral offer of peace and favor with Him! What a way to say hello!!

How should we greet others?
When Jews or Gentiles affectionately greeted one another, the word used to describe this type of greeting was “aspadzomai” According the Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, “aspadzomai” means “A salutation was made not merely by a slight gesture and a few words, but generally by embracing and kissing"
“ Greet (aspadzomai) one another with a holy kiss.” [Romans 16:16; I Corinthians 16:20; II Corinthians 13:12]

But who should we greet (aspadzomai) with such warmth and affection? Our family? Our friends?

Matthew 5:47; “And if you greet (aspadzomai) only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”

The next time you meet a mere acquaintance, a total stranger, or even an enemy, remember these words of Jesus. And remember that God greeted us with “Grace and Peace” while we were His enemies, in a state of rebellion and indifference to Him.

Practice greeting everyone you meet (especially those who are hurting) with a warm, sincere, and loving greeting that comes from God.

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