Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
I never really enjoyed reading the letters in the New Testament. They felt like long sermons with lists of do’s and don’ts and no stories about “little Jimmy or Suzy” to break the ice or relate it back to “real life”. I always much preferred the stories of the Old Testament, they play out kind of like a Soap Opera, with stories about relatable people with obvious character flaws and teachable moments. I didn’t write off Paul’s letters, I just didn’t try very hard to read them…
Last year I realized it was time to get over myself and read through the letters again. I knew there were many individual verses and chapters from Romans that I found encouraging and so I figured that would be a good place to start. Over the last couple of months, I have been reading through Romans during my quiet time. I say couple of months because it has taken me since the beginning of Lent (156 days ago) to finish a 50 day reading plan! (I am very good at misplacing my devotional book or getting distracted in what should be quiet time and not actually getting to doing devotions!)
Reading through Romans, as interrupted as it has been, has been fascinating though. The letter is filled with guidance and wisdom. There have been sections where I have really grappled with the message and the common interpretations, and there have been sections where the devotional spent three days on the same set of verses, because of how meaty they were.
What has made this reading even more valuable, is that the Bible study I am a part of has been doing the missionary journeys of Paul recently too. And on top of that, the Junior Collision theme for the term has been about Paul’s letters to the various churches. So, the past few weeks have been laden with letters!
One of the points that is always hammered home when reading the Bible is the importance of context! And I have certainly seen the value of it recently! Reading through Acts, you start to pick up on names of people and places that are mentioned in Paul’s letters. You start to see some of the difficulties Paul and his group faced with the various churches that he wrote to. You start to understand the context of the “sermons” and you get the relatable stories that Paul is writing to the churches about. Reading Acts and Romans together has made the letters of the Bible feel so much more real.
An example of this is Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Paul spent three years with these people. The last time he saw them, they wept, knowing they would not see him again. His relationship with those who received the letter was as personal as his message to them. This letter of encouragement was not delivered from a pulpit, but from a seat at the table beside them.
Reading Acts with the Letters also humanizes the names of the people Paul directly greets. Priscilla and Aquila, Timothy and so many other brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead of it being a list of names, you start to see the relationships he had with each of them when he was with them. Reading Acts with these letters has made them more personal.
So often when we talk about “context is key” it’s because something crazy happened in the story or it’s a strange law that would be thrown out now days. Getting the context for these letters fits neither of these categories. Here the context provides the story and in some cases the emotion with which the letter is written.
It has been a wonderful expedition these last few months, joining Paul and his companions on their journeys. So now I encourage you! Whatever books or chapters of the Bible you previously were confounded by. Dive in! Search for the deeper meaning in the stories and for the stories behind the sermons. As Paul wrote to Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Let us be inspired! Amen!
With love in Christ
Heather P