Galatians 1: 1-5 - Greetings

I think when most people read the first few verses of these letters we blow right through them.  However, there is something really cool and rich about them.  Greetings in the New Testament church where not like we do today.  There was no "What's Up" or "Word" or "Hi".  Greetings were a powerful statement about the world they lived in and who they were going to serve.  When someone offered you grace and peace it meant that they knew that today, by serving Jesus Christ, they might lose their life.  So I am offering you grace and peace and we pray the God will do the same for all of us.  Serving Jesus Christ in the New Testament church was risky business.  It was truly a matter of life and death so when they greeted people it was a statement of encouragement to each other.  It was the part of their day people looked to because they realizes they were not alone in serving God.  The Lord be with you.  How much do you risk for God?  Take a few minutes and look at your life and the areas in which you could risk a little more for God.