Give My Greetings To...

Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you… Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you… Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. (Colossians 4:10a, 12a, 14-15)

The end of Paul’s letter to the Colossians is full of greetings and requests to greet others. In today’s terms, it would be like saying, “Say hi to {person’s name} for me!” But this is more than a casual acknowledgment; it’s a display of genuine love and care. To remember someone and intentionally send greetings their way shows the joy of God’s love at work in us.

Because if we’re honest, in and of ourselves, especially in today’s world, most people prefer to keep to themselves. Think about how easy it is to go to the grocery store, finish all your shopping, and leave without a single meaningful interaction. Maybe you exchange the usual cultural niceties with the cashier: “Hi, did you find everything okay?” … “Yes, thank you” (or, “Yes, more than I came for!”). Or, if you use self-checkout, you might not interact with anyone at all. What an isolated and disconnected world we live in.

Social media has only deepened this by replacing real connection with carefully curated soundbites, often driven by the pursuit of external validation. But Scripture calls us to something richer. Both 2 Corinthians 13:12 and Romans 16:16 instruct us to greet one another with sincerity and affection. This is not surface-level friendliness but a true reflection of Christ’s love in us.

When you greet others, especially fellow believers, do you hug them or at least a heart-felt handshake? Do you ask about them, maybe follow up on something they previously shared? Or does it stay pretty surface-level?

Let’s be intentional…let’s greet one another warmly, sincerely, and with the love of Christ. And as we obey, we will also reap the blessing of deeper fellowship and joy in Him.