Good morning church,
Today we hear Paul's closing message to the church in Corinth. Like he usually does, he sends greetings to particular leaders in the church, which reinforces how interconnected the early church was. He also lifts up some of their leaders, like Stephanus, as examples for others to follow. He also reminds them that love is the most important part of the Christian life. The somewhat odd line: "I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand," reminds us that Paul didn't physically write the bulk of these letters. Instead, he probably dictated for someone with great handwriting to write. Often, he used his own handwriting for the closing words of a letter as a personal touch, kind of like hand signing a letter we have typed. So as we leave this letter behind, let's take his closing words to bless us for the day with the grace of Jesus Christ.
May you feel Christ's grace with you all day,
Sam
1 Corinthians 16:13-24
13Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. 14Let all that you do be done in love. 15Now, brothers and sisters, you know that members of the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints; 16I urge you to put yourselves at the service of such people, and of everyone who works and toils with them. 17I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence; 18for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. So give recognition to such persons.
19The churches of Asia send greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, greet you warmly in the Lord. 20All the brothers and sisters send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 21I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22Let anyone be accursed who has no love for the Lord. Our Lord, come! 23The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.
Showing posts with label closing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label closing. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
ending and beginning
Good morning friends,
I'd like to remind you of our Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday evening at 6:30. The service will be simple and will lead us into the season of Lent. I hope to see you there. We'll have a couple of additional activities during Lent also: a book study of The Shack at the Boulevard on Wednesdays from 8-9:30pm (starting not this Wednesday, but the following) and a new members series for which we're still figuring out the details. If you've been worshiping at Laurelton and want to think about becoming an "official" member, this series will be a great opportunity to talk about faith and consider where God is calling you. Let me know if you're interested and we'll get the details nailed down.
Today's reading moves into personal and practical parts of discipleship. Paul urges the Corinthian church to prepare for his arrival by working on the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem. This collection was an important part of his work with all the gentile churches. It seems like it was a symbol both for Paul and for the Jewish Christian leaders in Jerusalem of the unity of the church. He also writes about his own plans for visiting them in the future. Notice that he leaves things pretty open as he is trying to go where the Spirit leads, not simply following a travel itinerary. This section reminds us of how interconnected the Christian movement was. I pray we keep in mind that we are all working together and would seek to follow Christ's calling today.
God bless,
Sam
1 Corinthians 16:1-12
Now concerning the collection for the saints: you should follow the directions I gave to the churches of Galatia. 2On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come. 3And when I arrive, I will send any whom you approve with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem. 4If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
5I will visit you after passing through Macedonia—for I intend to pass through Macedonia— 6and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way, wherever I go. 7I do not want to see you now just in passing, for I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
10If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord just as I am; 11therefore let no one despise him. Send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me; for I am expecting him with the brothers. 12Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but he was not at all willing to come now. He will come when he has the opportunity.
I'd like to remind you of our Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday evening at 6:30. The service will be simple and will lead us into the season of Lent. I hope to see you there. We'll have a couple of additional activities during Lent also: a book study of The Shack at the Boulevard on Wednesdays from 8-9:30pm (starting not this Wednesday, but the following) and a new members series for which we're still figuring out the details. If you've been worshiping at Laurelton and want to think about becoming an "official" member, this series will be a great opportunity to talk about faith and consider where God is calling you. Let me know if you're interested and we'll get the details nailed down.
Today's reading moves into personal and practical parts of discipleship. Paul urges the Corinthian church to prepare for his arrival by working on the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem. This collection was an important part of his work with all the gentile churches. It seems like it was a symbol both for Paul and for the Jewish Christian leaders in Jerusalem of the unity of the church. He also writes about his own plans for visiting them in the future. Notice that he leaves things pretty open as he is trying to go where the Spirit leads, not simply following a travel itinerary. This section reminds us of how interconnected the Christian movement was. I pray we keep in mind that we are all working together and would seek to follow Christ's calling today.
God bless,
Sam
1 Corinthians 16:1-12
Now concerning the collection for the saints: you should follow the directions I gave to the churches of Galatia. 2On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come. 3And when I arrive, I will send any whom you approve with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem. 4If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
5I will visit you after passing through Macedonia—for I intend to pass through Macedonia— 6and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way, wherever I go. 7I do not want to see you now just in passing, for I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
10If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord just as I am; 11therefore let no one despise him. Send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me; for I am expecting him with the brothers. 12Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but he was not at all willing to come now. He will come when he has the opportunity.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
courage and closing
Good morning friends,
Today we come to the end of Colossians. Sometimes it's hard to know what to do with these closings with all their names and housekeeping business. At the same time they give an interesting view of what the church was like at that time. The picture that emerges is a large, but fairly intimate network of Christians. Pretty much wherever Paul goes or writes, he knows people. In this particular closing there are a couple of things that play off yesterday's reading nicely. For one thing, we see Paul's greeting to Nympha, a woman who hosted a church in her house. Even though Paul reinforced the traditional teachings about family life and a woman's place in it, he also worked in ministry with many women who held leadership roles in the church. Some scholars suggest that one reason Paul was so careful about maintaining the traditional teachings was that the Christian church was constantly pushing the boundaries of women's roles and Paul wanted to avoid too much outside attention to that fact.
Another name that is especially interesting is Onesimus. Onesimus was a slave who ran away and ended up with Paul, where he came to Christ. The whole letter of Philemon is written to Onesimus's owner asking him to forgive Onesimus and asking him to release his claim on him. So again, while Paul tells slaves to obey their masters, he also is far from seeing slavery as a total claim on the slave. If you're curious, Philemon is a fascinating piece of persuasion and a really short read. One part of Paul's letters that can be confusing is that here and in several other letters he says something about writing the greeting with his own hand. It was common in Paul's day to have a scribe do the physical writing of the letter, and that's probably what Paul did. He often added a personal touch by writing part of the closing himself, though the end of Galatians makes it sound like his handwriting wasn't very good. A final part of this closing that makes me stop short is that Paul reminds his readers that he is writing from prison. We might question the way he saw the world, but we can't doubt his courage and commitment. He clearly put his life on the line and ministered in all kinds of situations most of us would be afraid to go near. I pray God help us follow Paul's example of courage, faith and thought as we seek to be ambassadors of Jesus today.
God bless,
Sam
Colossians 4:7-18
7Tychicus will tell you all the news about me; he is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. 8I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts; 9he is coming with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here. 10Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him. 11And Jesus who is called Justus greets you. These are the only ones of the circumcision among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.
12Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always wrestling in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything that God wills. 13For I testify for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. 15Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read also the letter from Laodicea. 17And say to Archippus, “See that you complete the task that you have received in the Lord.” 18I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Today we come to the end of Colossians. Sometimes it's hard to know what to do with these closings with all their names and housekeeping business. At the same time they give an interesting view of what the church was like at that time. The picture that emerges is a large, but fairly intimate network of Christians. Pretty much wherever Paul goes or writes, he knows people. In this particular closing there are a couple of things that play off yesterday's reading nicely. For one thing, we see Paul's greeting to Nympha, a woman who hosted a church in her house. Even though Paul reinforced the traditional teachings about family life and a woman's place in it, he also worked in ministry with many women who held leadership roles in the church. Some scholars suggest that one reason Paul was so careful about maintaining the traditional teachings was that the Christian church was constantly pushing the boundaries of women's roles and Paul wanted to avoid too much outside attention to that fact.
Another name that is especially interesting is Onesimus. Onesimus was a slave who ran away and ended up with Paul, where he came to Christ. The whole letter of Philemon is written to Onesimus's owner asking him to forgive Onesimus and asking him to release his claim on him. So again, while Paul tells slaves to obey their masters, he also is far from seeing slavery as a total claim on the slave. If you're curious, Philemon is a fascinating piece of persuasion and a really short read. One part of Paul's letters that can be confusing is that here and in several other letters he says something about writing the greeting with his own hand. It was common in Paul's day to have a scribe do the physical writing of the letter, and that's probably what Paul did. He often added a personal touch by writing part of the closing himself, though the end of Galatians makes it sound like his handwriting wasn't very good. A final part of this closing that makes me stop short is that Paul reminds his readers that he is writing from prison. We might question the way he saw the world, but we can't doubt his courage and commitment. He clearly put his life on the line and ministered in all kinds of situations most of us would be afraid to go near. I pray God help us follow Paul's example of courage, faith and thought as we seek to be ambassadors of Jesus today.
God bless,
Sam
Colossians 4:7-18
7Tychicus will tell you all the news about me; he is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. 8I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts; 9he is coming with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here. 10Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him. 11And Jesus who is called Justus greets you. These are the only ones of the circumcision among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.
12Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always wrestling in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything that God wills. 13For I testify for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. 15Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read also the letter from Laodicea. 17And say to Archippus, “See that you complete the task that you have received in the Lord.” 18I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
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