Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
So, be honest with yourselves... who actually read through all of the names in this chapter? I am not gonna lie, sometimes I just skim past a list of names in Scripture. But there is something cool about this list of names compared to a genealogy like the one you see at the beginning of Matthew. The special thing is that these people are just regular, normal people. They are all probably from different walks of life. Some rich, some poor, some male, some female (which is a big deal for Paul to mention), some young, and some old.
But why is it cool that Paul sends his greetings to them? Because this was the early church in Rome! These people, alike or different, are part of the church! It shows that the church was not just for one specific type of person, and it wasn’t meant to be done alone. Our walk in Christ is meant to be done together! Not like a group project, or a sports team, but a family.
Paul knew these people. He has heard the stories of their faith, has been prayed for by them, and has prayed for them in return. Paul had big plans to reach Spain on his fourth missionary journey, and he included them in those plans. Paul knew them not as someone he bumped into one time but as brothers and sisters in Christ. Writing this makes me think about how often I sit next to other believers at church and don’t know anything about them, much less their names. I don’t expect you to know everyone who sits in your row, but what if we start to make an effort to at least say hello? Even just a simple hello can unlock the door to conversations where we can comfort, encourage, celebrate, and pray for each other.
I know this might be hard for my introverted friends, and I get that. But what if we lived with the intention of getting to know people and praying for them, not just saying we will? The Church is meant to be a place of unity, a place of fellowship, a place to be a family of believers.
I want to challenge you this Sunday. Talk to someone you don’t usually talk to. Reach across the aisle and shake a hand. Who knows how that person might impact you or how you might impact that person? You could even meet your future best friend.
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.