After I became an adult, my worries shifted from what would be put under the Christmas tree to what bills the post office would deliver. Opening the mailbox, I'd flinch when I saw a letter from a doctor's office or an insurance company. Paul and Timothy offer a different starting point. Their self-identity comes from who's above them. They called God, "Father," and Jesus, "Lord," so what follows? They're his servants. It's odd to hear that language today, but when we step back and consider the authority inherent to God, the logic holds. Even more surprising is who Paul thinks is God. He was raised as a strict monotheist and killed Christians for claiming that Jesus was God. Then he met the risen Jesus, so he runs together 'God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ' in the same breath. In Rome, the patronage system ran the world. Each morning, courtyards swelled with clients jostling for position. "Salve, patrone!" "Greetings, patron!" They came to show respect, get their orders, and receive a gift. Everyone kept tabs on what they gave and what they got. But Paul starts with sheer gift. Before he tells them anything else, he reminds them that God is giving, giving, giving to them. Whenever we turn our faces toward God, we see him smiling at us. God is for us, always. A few years into my marriage, I was fighting with my wife. As I recited all the reasons I was right to be angry in my mind, she walked over and gave me a hug. In that moment, I realized she would always love me. I relaxed. When someone is gracious to us, we're at peace with them. But the biblical idea of peace goes beyond the absence of anxiety. It carries the sense of wholeness. Everything is as it should be. In a handful of words, Paul is letting us see how he sees everything else. The gospel starts with grace and produces peace. Paul starts as he will end: they already have everything they need.