Daily Devotional • July 29
A Reading from Romans 16:1-16
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, 2 so 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.
3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but also all the churches of the gentiles. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Israelites who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my fellow Israelite Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and greet his mother—a mother to me also. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
Meditation
Paul’s longest and most theologically multifaceted epistle finishes off with a relatively light chapter full of personal greetings to specific people. This epistle is addressed to the faithful in Rome in advance of a planned visit. Some scholars opine that this long list of names is Paul’s way of lending extra credence to his letter addressed to a church he had neither founded nor visited, and therefore where his influence is probably less than in churches where he has unquestioned weight.
Well, maybe. However Paul knew these people, they were real people in a real church in a real time, bound together by a common faith in Jesus. Most likely, given the time and place, every one of them is a convert — that is, they had chosen to believe in Jesus as adults and shape their lives in accordance with Christian belief and morality. Note that nearly every name is, um, weird to us. Who do we know named Ampliatus or Tryphosa? A few names have lasted through the ages, like Mary of course, and Priscilla and Julia, and maybe Persis. But shift in time. In my Christian life, I remember Olive who taught me in Sunday School 70 years ago; and John, a personable, flamboyant fellow in seminary who was sadly turned down for ordination. And of course lots of others. Like Paul, every reader of this devotion can name many dozens of people who shared the Christian faith and fellowship.
It is immensely enriching in the love of God to take time to remember ordinary people who have been a part of our spiritual lives — and to remember also that we are part of the spiritual lives of others. In today’s lesson, we are reminded that, across time, we are even part of the fellowship with Tryphosa!
David Baumann served for nearly 50 years as an Episcopal priest in the Dioceses of Los Angeles and Springfield. He has published nonfiction, science fiction, and short stories. Two exuberant small daughters make sure he never gets any rest.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Ho – The Church of the Province of West Africa
Washington National Cathedral