Hebrews 13:20-21

Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever. Amen. - Hebrews 13:20-21

The Hebrew understanding of the word shalom means more than just peace. It also means completeness, wholeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. It also can be used as a greeting as meaning both hello and goodbye. So, when we hear the writer of Hebrews speak about the peace of God and “making you complete in everything good” to do God’s will, the writer is talking about shalom.

There is never enough shalom-ness in the world. Although we are all lacking and are broken, we are forever moving in the trajectory of wholeness or shalom in our lives.

In order to help others, we have to have our act together, as it were. It’s like the flight attendant in their preflight instructions, telling the passengers to be sure to put on your own mask before helping others to put on theirs. We have to have a sense of peace and completeness within ourselves before passing on that peace and well-being to others. The wholeness, sense of peace, and completeness is not for our own sake, as some Eastern religions would teach. It is rather for the sake of doing God’s will that which is well pleasing for the sake of God’s glory.

Let us pray: Good and gracious God, through Jesus Christ you complete in us that which is well pleasing, to be about your work in the world. Grant us shalom, so that, we may pass onto others the same sense of shalom that we ourselves have received from you. Amen.