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Transcript

Even Paul needed company · The Holy Pause

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: A reading from Scripture, Romans, chapter 1, verses 1-17.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus,
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God,
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Regarding his son,
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David,
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power,
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: By his resurrection from the dead.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus Christ our Lord.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Through him will we receive grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: the obedience that comes from faith for his namesake.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: And from the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you,
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: because your faith is being reported all over the world.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: God, who I am serving my spirit and preaching the gospel of his Son,
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I pray that now at last, by God's will, the way may be opened for me to come to you.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: I long to see you.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: I do
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: not
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: want you to be unaware,
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: brothers and sisters,
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: that I planned many times to come to you,
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: but have been prevented from doing so until now,
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: in order that I might have a harvest among you,
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: For I am not ashamed of the gospel,
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes,
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed,
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: a righteousness that is by faith From first to last.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: Just as it is written, the righteous will live by faith.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I sometimes, but not often, miss the handwritten letter era.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: The one that predated all of our rather cold and removed emails.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: There is something about having to put pen to paper that is more personal
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: than typing keys on a keyboard could ever be.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: So when Paul puts pen to paper in each of his letters,
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: I have to give credit where credit is due.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: He's pouring something personal of himself out into the world every time.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Paul begins this letter to the Romans with something
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: that feels surprisingly personal, especially for Paul.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: He tells the Christians in Rome that he has been longing to see them.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: He has prayed about it,
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: planned for it, And hoped for the opportunity to come to them in person.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: And then he adds something important.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: That is that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Paul isn't looking to just preach at the people of Rome.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: He wants to be with them in community.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: He wants to share the gospel with them.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: But he also expects that their faith will strengthen and encourage his own.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: This is an important reminder for us.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: Faith was never meant to be an isolation of community.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: We need one each other.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: We need one another.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: We need the encouragement,
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: the questions, the shared stories, the prayers and the wisdom of other people.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Even Paul,
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: one of the greatest missionaries and teachers of the early church,
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: recognized that he had something to receive from the people he hoped to serve.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: He also recognized that the only way to exchange and share in spiritual growth was
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: in person, together.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: We live in a world where people can be more connected than ever and yet still feel isolated.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: We can't communicate instantly across thousands of miles,
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: but we still long for the presence of another person sitting beside us.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Romans 1 reminds us that Christian community is about presence,
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: encouragement, and sharing life together.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Our faith grows when we gather,
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: when we listen to one another,
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: when we encourage one another and when we remind each other
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: that God's love is big enough for all of us.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: Here's something to consider for today.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Who are the people I need to be present with Who might need my encouragement?
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: And whose faith might God use to strengthen me?
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Join me in prayer.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Gracious God, thank you for the gift of the people who encourage us in faith.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Help us,
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: like Paul,
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: to long for meaningful connection and to recognize that we have both something
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: to give and something to receive.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Give us courage to share the good news of your love and make us attentive to those
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: who need our presence and encouragement.
• 6:06
  Amen.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast was written by Katherine Piper and recorded by
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: the Reverend Elizabeth Troyer with audio engineering and editing assistance
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: from Jermaine Taylor.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: These podcasts will always be free,
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: but if you'd like to donate to support our online ministry,
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Or at wakeforestpres.org.