Windows upon Windows

Good morning, dear reader! I hope you are well. As we arrive at the end of reading Romans together, many things about our lives have been turned upside down. We started Chapter 1 back in January, in the “beforelife.” I wonder what has changed for you the most, and what you will bring with you into the next season of your life? For me it’s a sense of profound humility. . .on most days! On other days I still wrestle with the depths of my own hubris and hypocrisy: Why aren’t they wearing a mask? Why are they complaining? Why don’t they acknowledge they aren’t in control? Why don’t they do something?

As a wise woman in our Bible Study said yesterday, this moment is an even greater opportunity to feel the presence of God in our lives. To have MORE of his presence, and to see more clearly who we are in His eyes. This can certainly produce humility! But it also makes for a new level of gratitude, with the deep understanding that everything we have, including our very (flawed) selves, proceeds from the divine. Now is a time to face our own particular demons and confront our fears, so that we might better understand how to call upon the Lord in overcoming them. To paraphrase (and totally upend) the last line of a Dickinson poem, these deaths we are dying to the world and to our “old selves” might allow us some new vision. The desolation we feel ourselves, and on behalf of others, may allow us “to see to see.” 

Romans 16 (NIV)

This crowning chapter of Paul’s incredible letter must give Biblical historians much to love. There are so many leads to chase about who was involved in the early church and the kinds of people who helped the gospel spread. It was a big tent even then: men, women, Jews, Gentiles, rich, poor, city, country, simple, sophisticated. Years ago my book group read a fictionalized account of Phoebe’s ministry, which suggested it was she who carried this letter to Rome. Phoebe: A Story, by Paula Gooder, features Priscilla and Aquila and many other fascinating characters, including Paul.

We all know people in our own faith communities who are constantly working to further the church. All have different gifts and roles to play, as Paul continues to make clear. You can feel his excitement in the closing verses, that the mystery hidden in ages past (God’s plan for nothing less than salvation for all) is being made known in his own lifetime. It is thrilling world-historical stuff to be a part of, and, as Paul demonstrates in his own life, worth suffering for. I can’t help but think how we are in the midst of a world-historical moment. What will we say to others about it? What message will we spread? Where do we see the gospel breaking in? 

I like the Life Application Bible’s note on the last verses of Romans: “Paul had not yet been to Rome to meet all the Christians there, and, of course, he has not yet met us. We too live in a cosmopolitan setting with the entire world open to us. We also have the potential for both widespread influence and wrenching conflict. We should listen carefully to and apply Paul’s teaching about unity, service, and love.” 

Off we go then, into the wild uncertainty that is the next hour and the days to come. May we move with humility and gratitude to understand ourselves more clearly, and to truly see the ways God is present with us. May we open whatever windows God shows us, with grace and courage and without fear.