Week 52: Romans 16:20b, 25-27

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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you….Now 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 but 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–to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen. (NRSV)

Reflection

We are nearing the end of the year and also the end of our meditations from Romans. And what a great way to conclude…desiring the grace of Jesus in the lifes of all. Grace, especially among Protestants, has almost become a clichê. Or perhaps a mere formality, sort of if we were to say when we meet: “Hey, how are you doing?” A few years ago I came to the sad conclusion that the majority of we Protestants does not know what it means to live by the grace of God. Only in very difficult circumstances, when there is no way out(!), do we at times discover again what it means to live by grace. The rest of the time, both in the church and out, we live by the law. Of course I am not referring to the Jewish law, but our own “evangelical” laws about life and behavior that we invent, inherit and pass on to further generations. Unfortunately I cannot say much more about this in the limited space of this devotional. Meanwhile, seek the evidences of the grace of God in your life and live accordingly…depending on Him.

Finally, after his prayer, Paul says a doxology, a praise to God. But he does so in an extremely daring and apparently pretentious fashion. Because he essentially and sort of indirectly asks God to confirm the point of view that he himself had elaborated throughout this letter. But it is not pretension. It is the conviction that he had spoken according to the Spirit of God. And I want to leave this challenge with you: that you can so walk by the Spirit as you go about your mission that your words can be confirmed by God in the hearts of other people to whom you minister.

Now for that to happen, our convictions must be deeply rooted in Scripture, as Paul rooted his convictions in Scripture throughout this letter. Grace to all and well rooted conviction!

Prayer

Thanks we give you for a year well traveled, oh Father. Grant us your grace that we might place ourselves in your hands. In Christ Jesus. Amen.

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Week 51: Romanos 16:2…

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Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, …Prisca and Aquila, …Epenetus, …Mary, …Andronicus and Junia, …Ampliatus, …Urbanus,…Stachys, …Apelles, …Herodion, …Tryphena and Tryphosa, …Persis, …Rufus, …Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters with them, …Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas…. Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my compatriots. I, Tertius, who am writing this letter, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer and our brother Quartus greet you. (NET)

Reflection

When I read this list I can’t help but think of the first days I arrived in Brazil in 1977. So many names I had never heard of before! I was used to names like John, Jim, David, Jane, Sally, Liz and so on. Now I had to learn new names I had never heard before, and not only that, but the nicknames that went along with them as well: Zé, Zí, Malu, Nando and so forth.

Perhaps the above list with so many strange names impresses you as well. But if you can see beyond this, you will find something quite extraordinary: Paul had many friends and they were intimate friends. And another thing: he knew that what was important in this life was relationships. Sure, theology is important. Biblical exposition is important. Very important. After all, he used alot of ink with sound theology and biblical exposition in this letter. But at the end of the day, relationships and friendships were also important. Why? Because the justification by faith which is the subject matter of the first eight chapters not only puts us in a right relationship with God, but it also estabelishes right relationships with our neighbor, for example, among Jews and non-Jews, the subject matter of Romans 9-11, and also among different people within the church, the subject matter of chapters 12-15.

Now it is important to understand that right relationships do not negatively refer to simply to those relationships that are not oppressive or egoistic. They also refer positively to relationships guided by love, the basis of all friendships (the two words, love and friendship, have the same root in Latin).

So, just as Paul greets his friends with such care, I want to greet each of you with the same love. Our friendship is very important and I miss you you when we are away for long periods of time. God bless you at this end of the year as we reunite with friends and family to celebrate the One who makes redeemed friendships possible, because the justice he brought about in us is manifest through our friendships.

Prayer

I thank you, oh Father, for the reconciliation to you in Christ Jesus. I thank you for the reconciliation made possible with our neighbor that sprounts from this your work in us. In Jesus name. Amen.

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