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As a communication major in college I studied etymology; the history, origin and derived meanings of words. Most of us take for granted the words we use on a daily basis. We don’t think about how our language has developed over time and yet the back story informs so much of our communication.
Take the word “goodbye” for example. It comes from the 16th-century term Godbwye which was a contraction of the phrase “God be with you.”
Goodbye is a word we use when we take leave from one another’s company. It can be a hard word to say when we don’t know when we will see one another again. When goodbye is spoken like a period at the end of a sentence, tears often fall. However, the word goodbye in the truest origin is not an ending, but a peace filled blessing, “God be with you.”
We have again had to say goodbye to our in-person worship and programming during this pandemic. Our civic responsibility calls us as Christ followers to do our part in caring for the heath and safety of our neighbors. It is hard, and yet we know that it isn’t a goodbye. It is an affirmation extended, “God be with you.”
A hymn that has been used to close worship services throughout the last century is a song entitled, “God Be With You Till We Meet Again.”
God be with you till we meet again, ‘neath His wings protecting hide you,
Daily manna still provide you, God be with you till we meet again.
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