Hello, dear reader. I’m glad you’re here! 

This is the first of what I hope will be weekly postings of quick thoughts about the Word, and words more generally, starting with the book of Romans. It’s not my intention to do a scholarly exegesis, but rather a layperson’s look at the Bible and how it affects and shapes our lives today. I look forward to your comments and conversation. We’re all called to read Scripture and think about it together. 

As for translations, I tend to jump around. I often go to the NRSV for the scholarly take, to Eugene Peterson’s The Message for a creative, and sometimes folksy version, and the NIV Life Application Bible for its pointed and sometimes overly optimistic notes. I’ll note which translation I’m using as we go along. 

Holy Spirit, come be with us as we spend a little time in your Word. Amen. 

Romans 1:1-6 (NIV)

1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

What strikes me about this salutation is that Paul calls himself a servant, and the glory he takes in that lowly title. Not a teacher, but an obedient to what the prophets and the Scripture have said. One commentary I read suggests he alludes to his old name, Saul, which means “asked for, or called by God.” He takes up this notion that we are called to be Christ’s servants, Jew and Gentile alike, and leads with that. He also makes it plain that obedience to God necessarily will have some evangelism in it. 

Romans 1:7-13 (NIV)

7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

Everyone is called to be a saint, consecrated to God’s service. Paul says one way he serves God is with his spirit. What does that look like for us? How do we serve God not only with our actions and treasure, but also with our spirits? I think it begins with recognizing what we already do in our daily lives that is tuned to a higher source, that is giving and loving and true within us. 

As I write this January morning, I looked up and saw the sun breaking out and illuminating, igniting, even, a scrawny little tree the city planted in the berm in front of my neighbors’ house. Its bare branches blazed orange for a minute and now the light is gradually spreading as the sun fully rises. I think part of serving God with our spirit is being attuned to the moments of unexpected beauty in our world, and to notice when you’re caught off guard or your routine has been interrupted in a small way, to let a little of the wonder and a little breath of the Holy Spirit into that. 

As Paul always makes clear, it is crucial to be actively engaged in Christian community. Paul desperately wants to be in the presence of the Roman Christians, so that they may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. This happens to my friends and it happens to me. Time and again it’s the sharing of faith that emboldens and strengthens. We have to participate in corporate worship and also in other smaller groups intentionally and boldly in order to gather the strength we need to build our own faith. It is a renewing cycle, as Paul says, of mutual encouragement. 

Here’s something to ponder from the note to verses 9-10 in the Life Application Bible (NIV): “When you pray continually about a concern, don’t be surprised at how God answers. Paul prayed to visit Rome so he could teach the Christians there. When he finally arrived in Rome, it was as a prisoner. Paul prayed for a safe trip, and he did arrive safely—after getting arrested, slapped in the face, shipwrecked, and bitten by a poisonous snake. When you sincerely pray, God will answer—although sometimes with timing and in ways you do not expect.” This has been borne out in my life and in the lives of many of the women in my Bible Study. 

I won’t always rely so heavily on the notes, but I also found this one thought provoking:

(verses 11-13): “The combination of these two factors—Paul’s ardent desire to visit Rome and God’s sovereign ‘no’—resulted in his sitting down to write this letter to the Romans. This letter is a powerful exposition of the Christian faith and has helped countless millions of believers across the centuries… perhaps there are some ‘noes’ in our lives that God is planning to use greatly if we would just faithfully do what lies directly ahead of us instead of worrying about why we didn’t get our way.”

What is the “no” in your life right now? What does it mean for the way you are living your days? For me, for many years, I got very little recognition for my poems, not to say that my work is really out there even now. But as I quietly worked away I felt God was working in me and shaping what needed to be said that could only be made from years, from deeper time, and from the practice of patience and diligence (neither of which are strong features of my personality). So he grew me up in a way that would never have been possible if I’d won the Yale Younger Poets Prize, say. (Not that that was a possibility, but you understand the point). I would have been dazzled and blinded, like the seeds that sprout and shoot up too fast, but when the first drought comes they die away. I’ve been strengthened by that “no” and now I feel the richer for it. Is there a “no” in your life that you can see the greater purpose of?