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| photo taken at Ingham Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camps |
1. What stood out to me from this chapter?
At our camp we sing a song almost every week/weekend called "Romans 16:19." So I can't help but think of the song which is based on both verses 19b-20a. Yet I still am amazed as I read this chapter that it is almost solely dedicated to personal greetings. One entire chapter of the whole Bible is dedicated to personal greetings. I have to ask the question: Why would God and the early church decide that it was worth an entire chapter of the Bible talking about people? The answer is clear, even in the asking of the question. It's because people matter that much to God. Since they matter that much to God they matter that much to Paul. The Bible is not just a book about theology. Nor is it just a book about guidelines for living. For some crazy reason, God has chosen to use people to accomplish his will in the world, and almost all of the Bible records how people reveal God, receive God, resist God, and reject God.
2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?
At the end of most of his letters, Paul includes a few personal greetings. It's a good reminder that he's not just writing a book to make the best-seller list, he is writing a letter to real people that he often spent a lot of time with. It makes his loaded chapter even more weighty since he knows the people he's writing to.
Another specific verse though that popped into my mind is all the way back in Genesis. After Adam and Eve eat the fruit and condemn all of mankind to be prisoners of sin until Jesus comes (no biggie), God shares the gospel message. It's a glimmer of hope. in Genesis 3:15 God says to the serpent, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (NIV, emphasis added) Romans 16:20 again states the promise that the God of peace will soon crush Satan. I like those verses.
3. So what does this mean for my life?
When I think about ministry, it is SOOO easy for it to become about tasks, or numbers, or theological superiority. But this chapter was a good wake up call for me to put all that aside and remember that ministry is about people. Life is about people. God loves people. I struggle sometimes when ministry is happening to pause and talk with people and listen to people. It's easier to get caught up in a task that "has to get done."
4. What questions do I have about this chapter?
I seriously wonder who all these people are. I know just a small few of the names from the stories in Acts. But who was this Tertius who wrote down the letter to the Romans? How did Epenetus (the first convert to Christ in Asia) come to know Jesus? What role did all these women have in the church (It's cool to see that Christianity was one of the first "religions" to lift up women and give them more value and dignity.) No big theological question today. I just can't wait to see these people in heaven.
Tomorrow I'm gonna take a leap back in time from Paul's era about 500-600 years and land in the book of Daniel. It's my namesake, so I figure I'll give it another read. Get ready for lions and eagles and fires - OH MY! :)
In Christ,
Dan
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