Neighboring Stories from Our Reservoir Community

Snapshots of Neighboring from the Reservoir Community!
Many of you have already communicated your experiences of neighboring to us – we thought it would be encouraging to share these as we all try to navigate our own efforts of neighboring.

“My husband and I love our local magazine, Scout Somerville, and so I finally decided to sink the money into a real subscription. When I put in the credit card info, it had a spot to write a note and I wrote that I hoped that my order would be processed in time to get the May/June issue. The editor in chief, responded with “absolutely” and she said that she lives on my street (like 10 houses down)! So I emailed her back and asked her to be better neighbors.”

“This week as I walked down the hall of my apartment building, I looked up and actually asked my neighbor what his name is. From now on – I look forward to engaging with him – by name – the next time I see him”

“The Mayor lives down the street from us. I decided to ask to partner with him in more efforts toward making our neighborhood feel like a community. I just put in the mailbox a letter addressed to ‘My Mayor and Neighbor’, asking him if my husband and I can partner with him to make Ten Hills (our little section of Somerville) into a more “neighbor-y” place.”

“I put together a “Welcome to the Neighborhood” bag – inclusive of the fun spinach plant I picked up at the Dome table last week!”

“This year, I’ve been praying for my kids’ teachers and school administrators as part of our churches “pray for your 6” practice. Recently, I gave four of them a thank you note with a $10 Starbucks gift card, reminding them that I pray for them regularly and am rooting for their joy and their success. All of them made a point of telling me, in person or in writing, how much it meant to them. One of them wrote me a thank you email, saying my card “brought tears to his eyes,” which has led to further conversation and a move from acquaintance toward friendship. It’s been really rewarding and really worth the $40 cost!”

“I dropped a swiss chard plant at my neighbor’s house this morning!”

Things to Think About in the Art of Neighboring – Week 3

Week 3 – 2016

Things to Think About In the Art of Neighboring

Mending Wall – Robert Frost

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!’
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of outdoor game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
‘Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.’ I could say ‘Elves’ to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’

Questions:
1. What have your own experiences of walls been? Are they walls that have been there for generations – long before you? Walls that you’ve created? Walls that have been set against you?

2. “Good fences make good neighbors” is a phrase that has come out of this poem. Although Robert Frost seems to challenge this sentiment. What’s your take on this phrase?

3. If “spring is the mischief” in you – what dialogues can you imagine as momentum in your neighboring?

Invitations:
1. Pray for God to illuminate where walls might exist in your own life.

2. Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead you to the wall(s) with wisdom and humility.

3. Where engagement at the wall seems static, pray for the Holy Spirit to be the force that moves and breaks down the walls.

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Acts 8:26-39 (NIV)

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

Questions:
1. As you read this scripture – where do you find yourself? Do you identify with the character of Philip? Do you identify with the Ethiopian Eunuch?

2. What do you glean from seeing Philip and the eunuch intersect at their walls? How can this help in your own navigation of neighboring around walls?

3. Philip baptizing the eunuch seems like a pivotal shift that will invoke change for generation of followers of Jesus to come. In your own neighboring where do you see the potential for pivotal shifts?

Invitations:
1. Look for ways this week to hear your neighbors stories and personal narratives.

2. In listening to these stories and narratives ask the Holy Spirit to show you opportunities to partner with your neighbors.

3. If it feels like “desert” in your efforts of neighboring – ask God to show you where the water is for “refreshment” and hope.

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Isaiah 53:10(b) MSG
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him.

“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” – Jewish Talmud
Questions:
1. In Isaiah 53 we see that life, life and more life will extend through Jesus’ legacy in all of us. How does this resonate with you? Specifically as you consider neighboring this week?

2. How does the phrase from the Jewish Talmud, “Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now.”, look in your own neighboring relationships? Is this a challenge to consider? Do you feel like these elements are components currently?

3. How does being a partner with God’s great work in our neighboring – feel for you as you think about engaging with those around you?
Invitations:
1. This week ask Jesus to show you how his legacy of life will bring neighboring relationships that haven’t started or are lying dormant to life in your community!

2. Ask God for eyes of justice, mercy and humbleness in your interactions with neighbors.

3. Ask God to lead you to areas of your neighbors lives that may have been abandoned in the past. And ask Him to show you the best way to engage in the work of building this piece up.

*****************************************************************************Neighboring Map – Invitation:
The first week we used the Neighboring Map as a way to pray for Jesus’ generosity to drip into our neighborhoods. Last week we used the map as a way to learn neighbor’s names. *This week use the Neighboring Map to find out something more about your neighbor, beyond an observable fact. Ask God to break open opportunities for intersection and conversation.

Things to Think About In the Art of Neighboring – Week 2

Matthew 22: 34-40 (NIV)

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

In the sermon this week – Ivy offered a visual representation of how the greatest commandment can be understood. She used an image of a 2-hinged door. One hinge being – Love the Lord your God. The second hinge being – love your neighbor as yourself. These two hinges working together allow a great arch and movement of love to go before us in our lives. This allows us great, wide expansive views of the landscape in front of us – inclusive of people who we can neighbor. If only one of the hinges is in motion – the other hinge likely gets overworked or overstressed. Often the overworked/overstressed hinge represents us – as we have to force and create our own extension of love – without connection to God.

Questions & Invitations:

Take stock of your neighboring efforts. How do you feel like they are operating? Are there some that feel in full swing – with two-hinges engaged? Are there some that feel more one-hinged? Can you identify the ones where you are doing the hard work of pushing the great big door of love open?

If the one-hinged approach to loving your neighbor resonates with you – invite God back into your neighboring relationships to connect you with His abundant resourcing.

Pray through verses of the greatest commandment – ask God to supernaturally expand your picture of love for Him as well as your neighbors – this week.

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Metaphorical vs. Literal Neighboring

In the book, The Art of Neighboring, by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon they talk a lot about taking the second half of the greatest commandment, “to love your neighbor as yourself” literally. This literal picture of neighboring, however, often proves to be a real challenge in the context of our own lives; our stages of life, our neighborhood configuration and perhaps our introverted tendencies.

This challenge of thinking of our actual neighbors can often move us into a place of metaphorical neighboring. And we can start to define our “neighbor” in the broadest of terms – as the “neighbor across town” or the organization we volunteer at and donate to, or anyone who’s in need. While this is perfectly true – it tends to take away from the importance of neighboring our immediate neighbors. And the end result is that we often love neither our nebulous neighbor or our literal neighbor well.

Dave and Jay put it this way:

“When we try to love everyone, we often end up loving no one. If we are not careful, we can end up having metaphorical love for our metaphorical neighbors and the end result is that we actually do nothing.”

Questions & Invitations

Where are your efforts of neighboring? In the metaphorical or literal realm?

What can you identify as your own reasons as to why metaphorical neighboring might be more your pulse right now?

If your metaphorical neighboring is a result of fear or busyness – ask God to help guide you into conversations and interactions with neighbors that will break down these hurdles.

Ask God to give you fresh eyes for the neighbors that surround you this week. Ask Him for a wide view with clear, peripheral vision.

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The Good Samaritan Parable

Luke 10:25-37 (NLT)

25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Questions & Invitations

The parable of the Good Samaritan is often read that we should be more generous and compassionate to those in need and that everyone is ultimately our neighbor. This is a generative interpretation and one that can call out of us an inclination to take a good look at those around us and how we are interacting with them.
In addition, what can we learn about “loving our neighbor as our-self” – if we imagine the law expert as the robbed victim in the parable? What could Jesus be showing the law expert and us about this perspective?
The law expert asks Jesus after the discussion of the greatest commandment – “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus tells the law expert the story of the Good Samaritan and then he poses this question back to the law expert, “Now who was a neighbor?”
What does this question flip open up for the law expert in theory? What does it open up for us in our own way of thinking about neighboring?
If Jesus is suggesting that one of our first steps in thinking of neighboring well – is to imagine our neighbor as ourselves – what messages do you glean about your own neighboring if you do this?
In verse 33, the Good Samaritan after seeing the victim on the side of the road, then “feels compassion” for him and out of this seems to pour forth an abundance of resourcing – to powerfully meet the needs of this man on the side of the road.
- Ask God to help you step out, see and feel compassion for those around you. In addition ask Him to help you believe for the wealth of abundance He’ll provide for whatever your neighboring needs might look like as you do so.
If the road from Jerusalem to Jericho – can represent our own road of life – full of messiness, danger and real life needs… Take time to reflect and identify people in your own life who have represented the spirit of the Samaritan.
Thank God for them as you head out on this road today.

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Invitation:

Last week the invitation was to use the “Neighboring Map” as a visual prayer guide, for more of God’s generosity to drip into your neighborhood. This week – use this Neighboring Map to gain a visual representation of how many of your neighbor’s names you know. Use this map as indicator of where a natural lean might be in your own neighboring efforts.

If you know all of your neighbors names – then move to facts that you know of your neighbors by having conversations with them (versus facts you can obtain by observing).

Utilize this map as a way to pray for your six neighbors as you move through the rest of our neighboring series.

Snapshots of Neighboring from the Reservoir Community

Many of you have already communicated your experiences of neighboring to us – we thought it would be encouraging to share these as we all try to navigate our own efforts of neighboring!

“This week my son dragged my daughter and me out of the house early (even before my hair was done) and we all still had our pajamas on. I’m so glad he did though, because we met a neighbor whom we haven’t spoken to since we moved in 2 years ago. It turns out she’s 90 and she’s lonely. That was her primary word she used. She was out for her morning walk before the rain came. “

“Last night, I had a great dream about working side by side in a kitchen next to my grumpy neighbor across the street who I spy on all the time. In the dream he struck up a conversation with me as if we’d been talking forever. It was a great dream 🙂 Praying that it will be a reality.”

“This week I asked the little girl I was babysitting how she knew if someone was a neighbor. She answered, “Because they always say: “May I come in?” This was meaningful to me to think about neighboring as an invitation into something more – our lives, each other’s stories.”

“We had been told that Mrs L wasn’t very friendly, was actually rather grumpy. A year or two after moving in, we did some renovations at our place that required a big dumpster in our driveway. Mrs. L would be staring at that ugly dumpster for a few months, so I thought it would be neighborly to let her know ahead of time. I think she was surprised that anyone would reach out. She invited me in for a cup of tea and I got to hear her story. Turns out she isn’t grumpy or mean, she was grieving the death of her beloved husband. Neighboring reminds me that everyone has a story.”

“This week I looked up and made eye contact with my neighbor on the other side of the street – AND – I actually waved. This is a significant step in the context of our neighboring relationship”.

“For my five year-olds birthday party, recently, she invited a bunch of classmates including a girl we hadn’t spent much time with. Not tons of lines of difference between us, but I wanted to connect with the girl’s dad because his family is from Mexico and Amelia’s school tends to have outsized presence from white, upper-income families. As soon as we invite the girl, her family immediately sent an invitation to her own birthday, around the same time. We went and had a ball—just a few families, mostly their friends who had also immigrated from Mexico. So the party was a really new and valuable experience for Amelia—her first tres leches b-day cake, her first pinata—we loved it. I was really grateful Amelia had a chance to learn about the world and we got to build a bigger bridge.”

“God totally opened up play with our neighbors next door who although we have boys the same age they barely played for the first three years we lived here. We talked a few times with the other couple about putting a hole in the fence or removing it all together but it never happened. Finally our more extroverted 4 year old started talking to them over the fence more and more and we finally decided to build some sort of platform so that he would stop climbing on the bunny hutch to talk to them. The next day we came home from church, saw some wood on the street being put out for trash and thought we could use it to build a platform. Low and behold it is a castle play house that has been taken apart. We dragged it over and my husband put it back together and put it up against the fence and installed a door leading over the fence to our neighbors yard. They bought at cargo net and attached it to their side of the fence, since then the boys went from playing a few times a year to almost every day. We could have never built a castle that cool – God totally gave us the castle and opened up friendship where we were struggling.”

“Our neighborhood should be perfect for kids. We live on a dead end, and there’s a family across the street from us with boys the same age as ours. They’ve been living there as long as we have, but somehow the kids never felt free to just hang out together without adults involved. Then a couple years ago a new family moved in next door, also with kids the same age. Those kids weren’t at all shy about coming over and asking our boys or our other neighbors out to play, and their example catalyzed all the neighborhood kids to be more open and invitational; now they’re all outside together most afternoons. We feel so grateful to be living somewhere with such an old-school feel, and I hope next time we find ourselves in a situation where the community isn’t as open and welcoming as it could be, we could be the catalysts!”
“I’ve been praying about more opportunities to meet my neighbors – where there just hasn’t seemed like there are any natural/organic opportunities. Since I’ve been praying over the last 2 weeks – I’ve seen my neighbors across the street – more than I can remember. I’m not sure if I’m just more aware to see them now – or if God is orchestrating moments of intersection. Either way – I’m totally encouraged!” (Now to do something about it).

Email us at neighboring@reservoirchurch.org if you’d like to share your experience of neighboring.

Things to Think About In the Art of Neighboring

John 1:14 (The Message)
The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.

This scripture illuminates the wonder of God becoming a person just like us. This transformation of God doesn’t leave him hovering at an arm’s-lengths distance from us – but takes him directly to our most grounding spheres – our neighborhoods. Jesus came to be close to us, to interact with us – to dwell among us.

Take a minute to think about the kind of neighborhood God moved into when He became human. Who did he see? Who did he eat with and sit at parties with? Who did he spend time with?

Take a minute to scan your own neighborhood. Who do you see in your neighborhood? Who do you hope to eat and sit at parties with? Who do you hope to spend time with?

Take time to imagine Jesus in your neighborhood. Picture Him in the apartment next to you, the house across from you, the bench outside your building, on your sidewalks – how could you imagine the impact of His generosity playing out in your neighborhood? Pray for this imagined picture to move toward reality in your neighborhoods.

Invitation:

Use the “Neighboring Map” below as a visual prayer guide. Pray throughout your week for Jesus’ generosity to drip into your neighborhood. Pray over your neighbor’s homes as you look at this map. If you know your neighbor’s names – incorporate them into your prayers as well.

(Click the image for a larger version or download a PDF)

For Families:

Mr. Rogers Theme Song, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”:

Lyrics:

It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?

It’s a neighborly day in this beautywood,
A neighborly day for a beauty,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?

I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you,
I’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

So let’s make the most of this beautiful day,
Since we’re together, we might as well say,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won’t you be my neighbor?

Won’t you please,
Won’t you please,
Please won’t you be my neighbor?

Fred Rogers was an ordained minister and his faith surfaced in subtle, indirect ways that most viewers of his show might have missed – he wasn’t your typical televangelist. He firmly believed “the space between the television set and the viewer was holy ground,” and he trusted God to do the heavy lifting. Before entering his office each day, Mr. Rogers would pray, “Dear God, let some word that is heard be yours.” It’s been said that for nearly 40 years, Mr. Rogers entered homes to bandage broken psyches, mend fences of division, and preach peace.

Talk with your family about what neighboring means to them. What are your hopes for intersection with your neighbors? What are your hopes for your neighborhood? What is your prayer in neighboring over the next 6 weeks?
How does the idea of God doing the heavy lifting in your efforts of neighboring resonate with you?

Invitation:

Pray about one small “next step” that you could take in neighboring as a family.

Eulogy v. Resume Virtues

Steve kicked off our Art of Neighboring series this Sunday and mentioned in his sermon the notion of a “living eulogy”.

David Brooks an author and columnist for The New York Times, talks about this living eulogy sentiment as well. He believes that there are two sets of virtues, the resume virtues – of which our culture and educational systems place high value on – the skills that you bring to the marketplace. And the eulogy virtues, which are the ones that are talked about at your funeral (or in the case of a living eulogy, ones that you can identify in someone alive) – these virtues focus on whether you were “kind, brave, honest or faithful. Were you capable of deep love?”

Brooks goes on to talk about this idea of deep love – this energizing love – as something that he believes is an essential piece in experiencing the richest possible life. Here’s a snippet from his article around “energizing love”:
Dorothy Day (social activist and journalist), led a disorganized life when she was young: drinking, carousing, a suicide attempt or two, following her desires, unable to find direction. But the birth of her daughter changed her. She wrote of that birth, “If I had written the greatest book, composed the greatest symphony, painted the most beautiful painting or carved the most exquisite figure I could not have felt the more exalted creator than I did when they placed my child in my arms.” (You can read the full article here)

That kind of love decenters the self. It reminds you that your true riches are in another. Most of all, this love electrifies. It puts you in a state of need and makes it delightful to serve what you love.

Dorothy Day made unshakable commitments in all directions. She became a Catholic, started a radical newspaper, opened settlement houses for the poor and lived among the poor, embracing shared poverty as a way to build community, to not only do good, but be good. This gift of love overcame, sometimes, the natural self-centeredness all of us feel.

Jesus seems to corroborate that this energizing love is something we too, can access when we think about neighboring. He says in Matthew 22: 37-39 (NIV):

How does the sentiment “your true riches are in another” resonate as you think about your neighbors?

Invitation:

If the word “love” feels like a hurdle as you think about the neighbors that surround you – pray that Jesus would start to crack open and energize this word for you.

Ending Your 40 Days of Faith

Spring has arrived, major league baseball teams are getting ready to come north again, and another 40 Days of Faith has come and gone. How can we end a season like this, and mark what we’ve learned or continue new habits we’ve found helpful? I’d love to offer you four thoughts on this today.

Write down, and tell somebody, whatever you learned.

So here’s the pro tip from this seasoned educator. Extensive research shows that when we write about and talk about things we’ve seen and heard and experienced, good things happen. We remember them better. We find ourselves able to make more meaning out of them. They sink deeper into our long-term memory and take on greater roots in our consciousness. Don’t waste any experience you’ve had during this season.

In my prayers for greater peace and joy in my parenting and pastoring, I felt like Jesus gave me three different images to continue thinking about in the months to come. I’ve written these down in a journal. I’ve talked about them with my colleagues and friends. You heard me preach about two of them (the “Where is the Door?” game, and Jesus coming to us behind our locked doors) at church on Easter.

Write it down. Tell somebody.

Continue anything that is still giving you life.

We run this season for 40 Days because of tradition and sanity. But most of my friends who’ve participated in one of these faith experiments have found or remembered something that they would like to be part of their lives year round. For instance, each year during 40 Days of Faith, my prayer for my 6 becomes more regular, and I keep that going year round as close to every day as possible. Having most of our church praying for a few friends that don’t seem to be receiving much from God is one of the most important things our community does in our city. I think it has huge long-term implications for us, for our friends, and for our church. So there’s that.

As the guy who wrote the Romans Bible guide, I also found that once through wasn’t enough for me, so I’m going to read through Romans and the guide again. Other friends I know have hit Easter before without clear answers to their prayers and keep on with their prayer and fasting until they feel God has answered their prayers or otherwise spoken to them. So, there might be an 86, or 423 Days of Faith for you…

Tell Jesus what you’re still longing for.

Part of the purpose of 40 Days of faith is to awaken our hearts, to reverse the emotional shut down that settles in for so many of us after we grow up, or in mid life. So if you’ve tapped into desires that you’ve been praying for and are still unsettled, talk with Jesus about that. Ask Jesus if you’d be better served by praying for these longings every day some more, by taking some action on them, or by letting them go in contentment and faith. But don’t just shut them down – our desires are a big part of what makes us human, and of how God speaks to us.

Memorialize anything worth celebrating or remembering.

There’s an ancient Hebrew practice, seen in many other cultures as well, of making small memorials anytime people want to remember or celebrate something significant. Often these were cairns, like you see marking hiking trails above treeline, or mountain summits.

One of these moments is in I Samuel 7:12, when a charismatic leader of early Israel named Samuel marks an important moment of spiritual renewal and national victory for his community. He does it like this:

^“Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, ‘Up to this point the Lord has helped us!'”

Here are just a few more examples of this kind of thing.

If you feel that God has helped you or spoken to you in some way, memorialize that. Make a craft. Write yourself a letter. Plant a tree. Devote a night of your community group – if you’re in one – to this kind of thing. Take a friend out to a nice dinner and make a toast about it. Whatever works for you. It’s a way of thanking God, sharing the good news with others, and marking it for memory.

Romans Bible Guide – Day 41

Romans Recap

It’s been nice spending the past forty days in Romans with you. Personally, I’m ready to start again and travel through the text over the next forty days as well. But today, rather than fill your minds and ears with my commentary, we’ll simply recap some highlights of our journey through Romans. Below are sixteen short excerpts that capture some of the highlights and flow of Paul’s letter.

Romans 1:14-17

¹⁴I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish ¹⁵—hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome. ¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.”

Romans 3:21-26

²¹But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, ²²the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, ²³since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; ²⁴they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; ²⁶it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 4:13-17

¹³For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

¹⁶For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, ¹⁷as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

Romans 5:6-11

⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. ⁸But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. ⁹Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. ¹¹But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 6:5-11

⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷For whoever has died is freed from sin. ⁸But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1-2

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Romans 8:18-23

¹⁸I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. ¹⁹For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; ²⁰for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; ²³and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

Romans 8:31-39

³¹What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³²He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? ³³Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. ³⁵Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 9:1-5

9 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— ²I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. ⁴They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; ⁵to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

Romans 11:25-33

²⁵So that you may not claim to be wiser than you are, brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this mystery: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written,

“Out of Zion will come the Deliverer;
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.”
²⁷“And this is my covenant with them,
when I take away their sins.”

²⁸As regards the gospel they are enemies of God for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors; ²⁹for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. ³²For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

³³O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

Romans 12:1-2

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:9-13

⁹Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; ¹⁰love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹²Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. ¹³Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Romans 13:8-10

⁸Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Romans 15:1-6

15 We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ²Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. ³For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” ⁴For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. ⁵May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, ⁶so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:28-29

²⁸So, when I have completed this, and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will set out by way of you to Spain; ²⁹and I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

Romans 16:16

¹⁶Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Taking It Home:

For you – What has most struck you in your reading of Romans? Take a moment today to write down one of the larger insights or gifts that Jesus has given you. Ask God for help in remembering this and having it stick with you far beyond this season.

For your church, your 6, and your city: Pray for another Jesus movement in our own times, for the good news of Jesus to captivate and fill your church and to encourage your friends and your city as well.

Romans Bible Guide – Day 40

Previously, in Romans: Paul is wrapping up the letter to the Romans with closing greetings and blessings.

Romans 16:17-27

¹⁷I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and offenses, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them. ¹⁸For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. ¹⁹For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil. ²⁰The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

²¹Timothy, my co-worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my relatives.

²²I Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord.

²³Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.

²⁵Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages ²⁶but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— ²⁷to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.

Points of Interest:

‘an eye on those who cause dissensions and offenses’ – Avoiding dissensions and mutual offenses has certainly been a part of the theme of Romans. Perhaps Paul wants to urge them to watch out for this kind of thing one more time. And yet overall, the themes in this paragraph and its stridency of tone don’t really sound like the rest of the letter.
A second possibility, one we’re not used to thinking about, is that Paul didn’t write these words at all. As with pretty much every single ancient text, no one has the original, handwritten copies of any of the books of the Bible. Written nearly two thousand years ago on papyrus that didn’t always age well, they most likely are now composted pulp somewhere in a subterranean ruin. The text that is translated in our Bibles is based on an amalgam of all of the most ancient copies of these writings. For about 99% of the words, there is fairly unanimous agreement on what the originals were likely to have said. But now and then, there are variants, and scholars have to practice the discipline of textual criticism to determine what the original authors were likely to have meant.

So even very old Bible translations like the King James Version from over four hundred years ago are largely adequate fine, but they’re not only in an outdated form of the English language, but are a little less accurate due to advances in archaeology and scholarship. All this to say, you can be confident that something like 99.9% of your Bible is accurate where it counts. But here and there, there are small disputes over words and verses.

Romans 16:17-20 is one of two places in this chapter where this is the case. The tone and theme differs from the rest of Romans, and the vocabulary and argumentation don’t match Paul’s in Romans and in the other New Testament letters he wrote. It is possible that the unity expressed with the line “Greet one another with a holy kiss” was just too full of love and that leaders in later first century Roman churches added these words to censor those they didn’t agree with.
‘Timothy, my co-worker, greets you…’ – The savvy reader will notice that this flows as if it came right after vs. 16, where yesterday’s passage ended with a number of greetings. This is yet another reason that some scholars think the previous four verses weren’t part of the original letter.
‘vs. 24’ – Those of you looking at the passage will note that in this translation, it jumps from vs. 23 straight to vs. 25. That is because verse 24 would read like this: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. It’s a short benediction, a closing blessing. But then verses 25-27 have a longer closing blessing. Scholars are pretty sure that Paul wrote only one. So some translations have eliminated verse 24.
One of today’s best scholars on Romans, Robert Jewett, who I’ve mentioned a couple of times, thinks the opposite is true. He thinks verses 25-27 are later additions to the text for similar reasons as the addition in verses 16-20. The tone and vocabulary and themes of these three verses don’t match, and they easily could have been tacked onto copies of the letters that circulated? Why? Nero persecuted the early Christians in Rome just after this letter was written, and then in the late 60s A.D., Rome’s armies invaded Palestine and besieged Jerusalem, crushing a Jewish rebellion there, destroying the city and its temple, and scattering Jews abroad. Afterwards, the Gentile churches increasingly distanced themselves from their Jewish roots, a tragic early chapter of anti-Semitism in the Christian story. Whereas all mentions of the Gentiles in Romans are alongside the Jews to whose story they are connected, here the new ending of Romans focuses on Gentiles alone. This isn’t what Paul intended at all.

Taking It Home:

For you – Thank God that questions about the accuracy of the Bible’s text are exceedingly rare. If Romans does end with a simple word that the grace of Jesus is with us all today, how is the presence of Jesus to both love and lead you an encouragement to you? Ask Jesus to be with you in all that you do today, inviting his grace and leadership in places where you particularly know you will need it.

For your 6 – Perhaps the many, many failings of churches over the years have given some of your 6 a negative view of Jesus. Pray that Jesus will find them anyway, to give them grace.

Romans Bible Guide – Day 39

Previously, in Romans: Paul has explained the most practical purpose of his letter – to visit the Roman churches and get their support as he travels to Spain. Even in this, his focus on the good news of Jesus to both Jews and Gentiles is readily apparent.

Romans 16:1-16

¹ I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, ²so that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well.

³Greet Prisca and Aquila, who work with me in Christ Jesus, ⁴and who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. ⁵Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ. ⁶Greet Mary, who has worked very hard among you. ⁷Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. ⁸Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. ⁹Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. ¹⁰Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. ¹¹Greet my relative Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. ¹²Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. ¹³Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; and greet his mother—a mother to me also. ¹⁴Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. ¹⁵Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. ¹⁶Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Points of Interest:

‘I commend to you our sister Phoebe’ – Cenchreae is the seaport nearest to Cortinth, in Greece, where Paul wrote this letter. Phoebe is a church leader in that community and apparently a woman of some means as well. In addition to being part of her church leadership team, Paul trusts her with the responsibility to hand-deliver this letter to Rome, likely at her own expense. Perhaps she’ll also stick around and organize the advance team for Paul’s intended visit and trip to Spain.
In other Pauline letters, there are comments that question his backing of women in church leadership, but in this chapter alone, three women are named as high-authority church leaders. Phoebe is the first. Whatever Paul says about how women lead, it has to be interpreted in light of his substantial and, in his context, pretty radical actual endorsement of their leadership.
‘Prisca and Aquila….’ – Prisca is the second female leader mentioned here and has her name placed before her husband’s, unusual for the first century. Best as we can reconstruct their story from elsewhere in the New Testament, they were Jews living in Rome who were evicted from the city after the Edict of Claudius exiled Jews from Rome. At some point, they began to follow Jesus and became significant friends and partners of Paul’s throughout the 50s A.D.
‘Greet also the church in their house’ – Prisca and Aquila are now back in Rome, leading a small church in their home. These are the kind of house churches we think of when we think of the first century Jesus community – several families and individuals that met several times a week for meals and worship in the living rooms of a relatively wealthy host. As we’ll see in a minute, though, there aren’t the only kinds of house churches.
‘Andronicus and Junia… they are prominent among the apostles…’ – Paul greets a number of people either known to him personally or by reputation or through friends. Paul cared a great deal about the relationships he picked up in his travels and in a time before email, phone, and postal service, did his best to remind them of his love and prayers. Two of the people he singles out are apostles, one of whom is Junia, this chapter’s third female leader. “Apostle” literally means sent one, and it usually referred to people who helped establish new work for Jesus, often people who personally knew Jesus during his lifetime.
‘greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus’ – Beyond house churches meeting in wealthy families’ living rooms, scholars detect other types of house communities in these greetings. Those who belong to the family or Aristobulus, and in the next verse, to Narcissus, would be slaves or laborers working in these households. Based on the names, the lists of people in verses 14 and 15 likely share leadership of communities that meet in slum tenements. There is no indication of singular leadership or wealthy patronage for these communities.
‘Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.’ – In many ways, this could be the true climax of the letter to the Romans. Their communities are all connected to the broader community of Jesus, who has welcomed them. And they are now told to extend greeting and love to one another. Jews and Gentiles, men and women, privileged and slaves – they are all in this life of Jesus together, and they are all invited to greet one another in love and friendship.

Taking It Home:

For you – Thank God today for all the people that lead and host and fund community groups and churches. Consider also sending your greetings and appreciation today to one of them, or to someone else significant in your life that you don’t get to see very often.

For your city/church – What would a “greeting with a holy kiss” look like today? How can followers of Jesus extend love and friendship across different within and beyond our churches? Brainstorm what this would look like with someone else this week, and see how you can make it so.

Romans Bible Guide – Day 38

Previously, in Romans: Paul has wrapped up his fourth and final segment exploring the good news of Jesus for Jews and Gentiles and is moving toward closing encouragements and comments.

Romans 15:14-33

¹⁴I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. ¹⁵Nevertheless on some points I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God ¹⁶to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my work for God. ¹⁸For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, ¹⁹by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the good news of Christ. ²⁰Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else’s foundation, ²¹but as it is written,

“Those who have never been told of him shall see,
and those who have never heard of him shall understand.”

²²This is the reason that I have so often been hindered from coming to you. ²³But now, with no further place for me in these regions, I desire, as I have for many years, to come to you ²⁴when I go to Spain. For I do hope to see you on my journey and to be sent on by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a little while. ²⁵At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem in a ministry to the saints; ²⁶for Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to share their resources with the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. ²⁷They were pleased to do this, and indeed they owe it to them; for if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material things. ²⁸So, when I have completed this, and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will set out by way of you to Spain; ²⁹and I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

³⁰I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in earnest prayer to God on my behalf, ³¹that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, ³²so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. ³³The God of peace be with all of you. Amen.

Points of Interest:

‘I myself feel confident about you…’ – The first line sounds like flattery, but it’s really just in keeping with good manners. After asking anything of their recipients, ancient letters often politely assume that the people reading were of course the good people that would do such a thing anyway. The “filled with” goodness and knowledge is also a contrast to the godless humanity at its worst, “filled with wickedness, evil, etc.” from the end of chapter 1.
‘I have written to you rather boldly’ – Paul acknowledges that he’s been pretty direct for a stranger, but that this is the kind of thing God has led him to do for work.
‘so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable’ – Why is Paul this direct-speaking minister and priest? So that God will get this “offering of the Gentiles”? This could seem like God needs a bigger pool of people to give him money or sacrifices or something, but I’m pretty sure that the people themselves are the offering here. Paul has been quoting fairly constantly from Isaiah, and at the very end of Isaiah, people from all nations – even perhaps as far away as Spain – come to God to worship and bring an offering. In Jesus, Paul has realized that the people themselves in all these places are an offering, that God enjoys these people and their love.
‘I have reason to boast of my work for God’ – Paul gets a bad rap for these moments where he seems kind of full of himself. This sort of thing isn’t just normal in Greco-Roman culture, though, it’s a typical move of an ambassador to establish his authority. In the teaching of rhetoric, we call this ethos – the reason we should pay attention to this particular speaker. The Romans should take Paul seriously because the Spirit of God has been working with him to bring Jesus’ good news all over the place.
‘from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum’ –Illyricum was the area of the today’s Baltic states, just across the sea, east of Italy. Scholars who have reconstructed Paul’s travels have noticed that he was really strategic about making his way from the city where Jesus died and rose again, to the very ends of the known world, which in Paul’s case, centered around the Mediterranean sea. It’s like Paul looked at a map of the Mediterranean world – the only kind of map that would have ever been available to him – and saw that a path toward the ends of the earth would have taken him through Illyricum and on through Rome and beyond. And he made his plans accordingly.
‘those who have never been told of him shall see’ – Paul grounds his working strategy in Isaiah again, this time 52:15. Paul’s job, as he understood it, was that of a pioneer, or a faith entrepreneur: to take the good news of Jesus to places where it has never been. Other people, as Paul hit on in Romans 12:6-8, have other gifts and other jobs.
‘to come to you when I go to Spain’ – On the one hand, Paul really wants to meet these famous Roman house churches, as he’s said since the first chapter. On the other hand, he assures them he’s not trying to make himself their new leader or overstay his welcome. They’re more of a pit stop for him on the way to Spain – the land on the far Western ends of their maps, the land of barbarians as far as Rome is concerned, and perhaps the land mentioned at the very end of the book of Isaiah as well. The whole book of Romans makes a lot of sense when you read it as a Kickstarter appeal for Paul’s gospel journey to Spain.
‘I hope to see you on my journey and be sent on by you’ – Paul doesn’t want to be over-explicit and impolite about it, but he expects the Romans to overcome their own internal divisions and come together to provide him with some financial and logistical support.
‘I am going to Jerusalem in a ministry to the saints’ – First off, Paul has to run an errand in Jerusalem. Now this was not at all on the way! It’s far to the East of Corinth, in Greece, where Paul was writing this letter. But another one of Paul’s big life missions, before going on to Rome and Spain, was to collect a financial offering from Gentile believers in Greece and bring it to desperately impoverished Jewish followers of Jesus in Jerusalem.
‘for if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service’ – This offering likely had political significance to Paul. Jewish believers still had only an awkward peace with this growing number of non-Jewish, uncircumcised followers of Jesus who weren’t even following the Jewish law as part of their new faith. By collecting a large financial gift from all these new churches he had started amongst the Gentiles, Paul might hope to warm the hearts of the Jewish believers in Jerusalem toward them.Paul says the Gentile churches have been happy to chip in too, and that there’s perhaps something spiritually fitting and beautiful about this. The blessing of Jesus, with its roots in the Jewish story, is returned by these new believers when they help feed their new spiritual cousins in Jerusalem.
‘that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea’ – Like most of what Paul did, though, this was a dangerous mission he was on. He was carrying a large amount of cash into a city where many who don’t follow Jesus view him as a traitor to his faith and culture, and many who do wonder if he’s taken this message of Jesus to the Gentiles too far. Paul hopes he’ll make it out and get to Rome alive, and asks for prayers that this will happen. It turns out that the only way that Paul will ever get to Rome is in chains, but that’s a story for another day.

Taking It Home:

For you – Paul has a focused life mission with two huge goals at this point in time – bring a financial contribution from the Gentile churches to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem, and then bring the good news of Jesus to the end of the world. He invites the Romans into their own mission as well – peace and love with one another, and support of his work when he arrives. What long-term life mission does God seem to have for you? Is there any particular work that you think you might be called to today? Ask God for discernment and courage around this.

For your 6 – Pray for the work of your six, that they will find ways to devote their lives to good that God is doing in the world. Another prayer today for your six could be to pray that they will either be the recipients or benefactors of some practically and spiritually significant generosity.