Tuesday 05 April 2016

Psalm: Psalm 65

Background

Gentle words from Paul.

Paul is so often looked on as erudite, if not obscure. He is theone author from the past that I would really like to quiz. A NewTestament tutor, having spent some time reading a passage fromRomans said, "Now let's work out what Paul meant to say!" To beginwith we only ever have one side of a conversation. Paul has writtena letter and we can only guess what challenges he was facing, orwhat errors he was trying to correct, from what he wrote. And wenever hear the response.

In Romans we have what feels like a theological lecture, but Ifeel it was addressed to real people in a real situation who werewilling to listen and trying to learn. Paul begins to organise whathe and other Christians were coming to believe. This was a time ofexploration, recollection and experimentation.

Jesus, they had heard about. People had handed down something ofhis teaching by word of mouth. But what do you make of thesestories with little else to go on? The Roman readers were trying tobe like Jesus and a lot of this meant trying to translate what hadhappened in and around Jerusalem into a new situation. Rome was notJerusalem. A lot of it came down to relationships, how we live witheach other. Following Jesus in the centre of the Roman Empire wasgoing to be different from what it had been by Galilee, but some ofthe tensions were the same.

They needed a patient teacher who would point them in the rightdirection - they were going to be saints. No pressure there then!But to be a saint is really to be useful to God.

Paul sets the goal and then uses words that a retired Methodistdistrict chair always used to use to sign off his letters. No'yours faithfully', or 'yours sincerely' but simply 'Grace andPeace' - grace from God and peace between us. He meant it. So didPaul, I believe, and it's a very good place to start.

To Ponder

• When you feel sure about what Jesus would do in a particularsituation how can you share this graciously with someone whodisagrees with you?

• Jesus lived out his life in Palestine. How would his life bedifferent if he lived where you do?