Oct. 5, 2025 BECAUSE YOU GOTTA START SOMEWHERE Joshua 24: 14-18, Revelation 3: 14-22
Rev. Dewey Johnson
Rev. Dewey Johnson
Christians for sometime now have struggled to find a better way to do church. Times have changed, and not all our practices are working as well as we’d like. A simple way forward at times seems elusive, but we can’t stop trying. Congregation by congregation we’ve got to start somewhere, which is also the message of one of my all-time favorite movies Nobody’s Fool. In Nobody’s Fool Paul Newman plays the main character, Sully, age 60, who seems to be the town ne’er-do-well even though many in the town cannot function without his being around.
He does have a poor record, though, when it comes to adult responsibility. Thirty years earlier he walked out on his family, and now his grown son, who hates that he grew up without his father, has moved back in town. He doesn’t want anything to do with his dad; still, Sully is hopeful. Not only does he want to reconcile with his angry son, but he goes out of his way to establish a relationship with one of his grandsons. And so, the son says to him, “How come you never were a father to me but now you’re trying to be a grandfather to your grandson?” And Sully says about going forward with his life, “Because you gotta start somewhere.”
When life isn’t working out for whatever reasons, we have to start somewhere if we’re going to work our way toward a better day. And just like Sully hadn’t been much of a father to that point, the church at Laodicea hadn’t been much of a church in our Revelation reading. The city of Laodicea was one of the wealthiest banking centers of Asia Minor, or Turkey today, also known for growing and weaving a raven-black local wool, said to be incredibly soft. The city was the chief medical center for its region, Phrygia, and famous for its eye salve exported far and wide. The church there was one of a cluster of churches started at the Apostle Paul’s initiative. (Acts 19:10) But that was back in the 60s AD. Revelation was written 30 years later in the 90s AD., and the spiritual condition of the church at Laodicea had deteriorated. How bad was it?
Well, John writes on Jesus’ behalf, “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. So, because you are lukewarm, like lukewarm coffee, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” And what Jesus is accusing the church of is this. Among its members are those who think that there is a middle ground between worshiping God, hot, and worshiping the emperor, cold. That they can remain members in good standing with the church while at the same time holding unchristian values. No way. In their loyalty to Christ, they must be “hot.” For if they’re satisfied with “lukewarm,” they’re no different from cold. They might as engage in emperor worship only as did other citizens of the Roman Empire.
Jesus also criticizes their boast of financial wealth, “You say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’” Not really. Such words prove them to be smug and self-complacent. “You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked, (meaning one who acts shamefully)” which is an interesting indictment. “Poor,” although Laodicea is a banking center. “Blind,” although Laodicea is well-known for its eye salve.” And “naked,” given that Laodicea is known for its textiles made of soft wool. And so, Christ counsels them to obtain from him “gold refined by fire” so you may be rich spiritually; and “white robes” to clothe you in purity; and “salve to anoint your eyes” that you may see the truth.
And then Christ switches from this rather harsh tone to an approach of affection. “If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t reprove and discipline you. Be earnest, therefore, and repent,” which Christ describes like this. “I am standing at the door, knocking: if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you,” e.g., reestablish the bond of faith. Christ will powerfully enter their lives when they open their inner being to him, which can happen in prayer.
All good things are possible when we’re with Jesus. With the door shut, as it is in our Revelation reading, we aren’t with Christ who is outside knocking. But in private prayer we can open heart and mind to his presence and support. We can even invite him to come into our lives and reestablish the bond between us as God does with the people in our Old Testament reading many centuries earlier.
The situation is this. God chose Joshua to lead Israel after Moses died. And his has been a hot faith as opposed to lukewarm. Joshua is now approaching death and is concerned about his peoples’ wellbeing after he is gone. He’s gotta start somewhere to be of lasting help, and that somewhere turns out to be a covenant renewal service which he performs in chapter 24, part of which we read earlier.
The back story is this. Forty years earlier, when the Israelites were leaving slavery in Egypt on their journey to life in the promised land, they camped at Mt. Sinai. Moses went up to the top and received the Two Tablets of the Law, the Ten Commandments. When he returned to the base of the mountain, on God’s behalf he established a covenant or an agreement between the people and the Lord. The people’s job was to be obedient to the Law; God’s part was to provide for the people’s needs. The Lord would be their God, and the Israelites would be God’s special people, chosen to live in accordance with God’s ways. As time went on, the people didn’t always obey the commandments, but God, who more than kept his end of the agreement, forgave and continued the story.
So, the somewhere Joshua chooses to start is by renewing the covenant or agreement made with God at Mt. Sinai. By reminding the people of how God freed them from slavery and provided for them in the wilderness; of how God helped them overcome kings and armies along the way, and of how God gave them a good land that had not been watered by their sweat. Joshua then said to the people, “Now revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the Gods that your ancestors served… and serve the Lord. If you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
The people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods.” Then they voiced a list of all that the Lord God had done for them and said, “We also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” And they said this in the sense of a vow that renewed their original intent. Joshua even took a large stone and set it up as a witness to what had transpired that day. Thus, the covenant established on Mt. Sinai was renewed. Likewise, we can renew our faith as often as needed in private prayer. Private prayer opens the heart to God’s will and clarifies our intention. “God I’ve been adrift for too long. Help me get back on course.”
In the movie Nobody’s Fool, Sully, was asked by his son, “How come you never were a father to me but now you’re trying to be a grandfather to your grandson?” He answered, “Because you gotta start somewhere.” And although there were several in town who doubted Sully’s ability to reconcile with his son, there was one person who had confidence in him. He rented a room in the home of an elderly lady, played by Jessica Tandy, who had been his 8th grade schoolteacher years earlier. In the movie, she suffers a small stroke and does not want her son, the town banker, to know. She calls Sully to come pick her up at the hospital. He asks why not tell her son? Because he would put her in in a “nursing home.” And although others do just fine there, she won’t. So, she’s known for years that she needed to make a choice that would preserve her ability to live in her own house, and guess what, she says? She made the choice years ago when Sully was a young teenager.
Back when Sully was in her 8th grade class, she saw something in him. And although 50 years later he’s often thought of as the town ne’er-do-well, she hasn’t given up on him yet. He can help her stay in her home, after all, he already lives there. He argues that no, that is not a good idea. She then asks him if he’s still betting on that horse race of his. He answers, “The Trifecta.” Sure I am.” … “Has it ever come in?”... “Not yet, but the odds have to kick in sooner or later.”… “Fine,” she says, “that’s exactly how I feel about you. Now, will you please drive me home?”
The odds have to kick in sooner or later… Do you ever wonder if God sees something in you that you haven’t lived up to yet but can? Or that as the ways of doing church in our country change, that maybe God sees a way of Rio Grande going forward that couldn’t be imagined some time ago? And that the place to begin is with a renewal of faith, being more intentional than maybe we have been?
As a part of faith renewal, this morning we’re going observe the sacrament of holy communion. Then spread the word if you will that next Sunday, at the close of the service, the session is going to present the congregation with a proposal that the session thinks and I think will enable Rio Grande Presbyterian to go forward in ministry in a rather unique and powerful way. We will present this way of going forward next Sunday, and then the Sunday after that, after a week of thinking and praying on your part, there will be a congregational meeting to vote on this proposal. All members have a voice in this decision.
The retired teacher saw something in Sully long ago, and although he’s given her reason at times to give up on him, she’s not changing her bet. The Israelites gave God reason to give up on them as they traveled through the wilderness, yet God was willing to renew the covenant. And although Christ was offended by the Laodiceans’ behavior, he was knocking at their door, wanting them to change. “Let me in.” Sometimes our lives are a mess of our own making. Sometimes a mess because our world changes and we may need to change in response. But no matter why the mess, in prayer is where the process of change begins.
Again, the question this morning is, “Do you ever wonder if God sees something in you that you haven’t lived up to yet but can?” Also, “As the ways of doing church in our country change, might God see a way of Rio Grande going forward that couldn’t be imagined some time ago?” Amen
He does have a poor record, though, when it comes to adult responsibility. Thirty years earlier he walked out on his family, and now his grown son, who hates that he grew up without his father, has moved back in town. He doesn’t want anything to do with his dad; still, Sully is hopeful. Not only does he want to reconcile with his angry son, but he goes out of his way to establish a relationship with one of his grandsons. And so, the son says to him, “How come you never were a father to me but now you’re trying to be a grandfather to your grandson?” And Sully says about going forward with his life, “Because you gotta start somewhere.”
When life isn’t working out for whatever reasons, we have to start somewhere if we’re going to work our way toward a better day. And just like Sully hadn’t been much of a father to that point, the church at Laodicea hadn’t been much of a church in our Revelation reading. The city of Laodicea was one of the wealthiest banking centers of Asia Minor, or Turkey today, also known for growing and weaving a raven-black local wool, said to be incredibly soft. The city was the chief medical center for its region, Phrygia, and famous for its eye salve exported far and wide. The church there was one of a cluster of churches started at the Apostle Paul’s initiative. (Acts 19:10) But that was back in the 60s AD. Revelation was written 30 years later in the 90s AD., and the spiritual condition of the church at Laodicea had deteriorated. How bad was it?
Well, John writes on Jesus’ behalf, “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. So, because you are lukewarm, like lukewarm coffee, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” And what Jesus is accusing the church of is this. Among its members are those who think that there is a middle ground between worshiping God, hot, and worshiping the emperor, cold. That they can remain members in good standing with the church while at the same time holding unchristian values. No way. In their loyalty to Christ, they must be “hot.” For if they’re satisfied with “lukewarm,” they’re no different from cold. They might as engage in emperor worship only as did other citizens of the Roman Empire.
Jesus also criticizes their boast of financial wealth, “You say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’” Not really. Such words prove them to be smug and self-complacent. “You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked, (meaning one who acts shamefully)” which is an interesting indictment. “Poor,” although Laodicea is a banking center. “Blind,” although Laodicea is well-known for its eye salve.” And “naked,” given that Laodicea is known for its textiles made of soft wool. And so, Christ counsels them to obtain from him “gold refined by fire” so you may be rich spiritually; and “white robes” to clothe you in purity; and “salve to anoint your eyes” that you may see the truth.
And then Christ switches from this rather harsh tone to an approach of affection. “If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t reprove and discipline you. Be earnest, therefore, and repent,” which Christ describes like this. “I am standing at the door, knocking: if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you,” e.g., reestablish the bond of faith. Christ will powerfully enter their lives when they open their inner being to him, which can happen in prayer.
All good things are possible when we’re with Jesus. With the door shut, as it is in our Revelation reading, we aren’t with Christ who is outside knocking. But in private prayer we can open heart and mind to his presence and support. We can even invite him to come into our lives and reestablish the bond between us as God does with the people in our Old Testament reading many centuries earlier.
The situation is this. God chose Joshua to lead Israel after Moses died. And his has been a hot faith as opposed to lukewarm. Joshua is now approaching death and is concerned about his peoples’ wellbeing after he is gone. He’s gotta start somewhere to be of lasting help, and that somewhere turns out to be a covenant renewal service which he performs in chapter 24, part of which we read earlier.
The back story is this. Forty years earlier, when the Israelites were leaving slavery in Egypt on their journey to life in the promised land, they camped at Mt. Sinai. Moses went up to the top and received the Two Tablets of the Law, the Ten Commandments. When he returned to the base of the mountain, on God’s behalf he established a covenant or an agreement between the people and the Lord. The people’s job was to be obedient to the Law; God’s part was to provide for the people’s needs. The Lord would be their God, and the Israelites would be God’s special people, chosen to live in accordance with God’s ways. As time went on, the people didn’t always obey the commandments, but God, who more than kept his end of the agreement, forgave and continued the story.
So, the somewhere Joshua chooses to start is by renewing the covenant or agreement made with God at Mt. Sinai. By reminding the people of how God freed them from slavery and provided for them in the wilderness; of how God helped them overcome kings and armies along the way, and of how God gave them a good land that had not been watered by their sweat. Joshua then said to the people, “Now revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the Gods that your ancestors served… and serve the Lord. If you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
The people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods.” Then they voiced a list of all that the Lord God had done for them and said, “We also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” And they said this in the sense of a vow that renewed their original intent. Joshua even took a large stone and set it up as a witness to what had transpired that day. Thus, the covenant established on Mt. Sinai was renewed. Likewise, we can renew our faith as often as needed in private prayer. Private prayer opens the heart to God’s will and clarifies our intention. “God I’ve been adrift for too long. Help me get back on course.”
In the movie Nobody’s Fool, Sully, was asked by his son, “How come you never were a father to me but now you’re trying to be a grandfather to your grandson?” He answered, “Because you gotta start somewhere.” And although there were several in town who doubted Sully’s ability to reconcile with his son, there was one person who had confidence in him. He rented a room in the home of an elderly lady, played by Jessica Tandy, who had been his 8th grade schoolteacher years earlier. In the movie, she suffers a small stroke and does not want her son, the town banker, to know. She calls Sully to come pick her up at the hospital. He asks why not tell her son? Because he would put her in in a “nursing home.” And although others do just fine there, she won’t. So, she’s known for years that she needed to make a choice that would preserve her ability to live in her own house, and guess what, she says? She made the choice years ago when Sully was a young teenager.
Back when Sully was in her 8th grade class, she saw something in him. And although 50 years later he’s often thought of as the town ne’er-do-well, she hasn’t given up on him yet. He can help her stay in her home, after all, he already lives there. He argues that no, that is not a good idea. She then asks him if he’s still betting on that horse race of his. He answers, “The Trifecta.” Sure I am.” … “Has it ever come in?”... “Not yet, but the odds have to kick in sooner or later.”… “Fine,” she says, “that’s exactly how I feel about you. Now, will you please drive me home?”
The odds have to kick in sooner or later… Do you ever wonder if God sees something in you that you haven’t lived up to yet but can? Or that as the ways of doing church in our country change, that maybe God sees a way of Rio Grande going forward that couldn’t be imagined some time ago? And that the place to begin is with a renewal of faith, being more intentional than maybe we have been?
As a part of faith renewal, this morning we’re going observe the sacrament of holy communion. Then spread the word if you will that next Sunday, at the close of the service, the session is going to present the congregation with a proposal that the session thinks and I think will enable Rio Grande Presbyterian to go forward in ministry in a rather unique and powerful way. We will present this way of going forward next Sunday, and then the Sunday after that, after a week of thinking and praying on your part, there will be a congregational meeting to vote on this proposal. All members have a voice in this decision.
The retired teacher saw something in Sully long ago, and although he’s given her reason at times to give up on him, she’s not changing her bet. The Israelites gave God reason to give up on them as they traveled through the wilderness, yet God was willing to renew the covenant. And although Christ was offended by the Laodiceans’ behavior, he was knocking at their door, wanting them to change. “Let me in.” Sometimes our lives are a mess of our own making. Sometimes a mess because our world changes and we may need to change in response. But no matter why the mess, in prayer is where the process of change begins.
Again, the question this morning is, “Do you ever wonder if God sees something in you that you haven’t lived up to yet but can?” Also, “As the ways of doing church in our country change, might God see a way of Rio Grande going forward that couldn’t be imagined some time ago?” Amen
Sept 14, 2025 Be an Encourager Genesis 27: 21-29, Romans 16: 1-16 Rev. Dewey Johnson
Sept 14, 2025 Be an Encourager Genesis 27: 21-29, Romans 16: 1-16 Rev. Dewey Johnson A couple once came to me wanting a wedding like a celebrity they had heard about. I can’t recall the celebrity, but there was a bubble machine. The Goo Goo Dolls sang The Wedding Song, Lady GaGa sang Stand By Your Man. It was the GooGoo-GaGa wedding. And as great as this was in some people’s opinion, I told this couple that I didn’t do googoo-gaga. A song was fine at a wedding, so was poetry and scripture, but the focus was to be upon the promises made by the groom and bride as witnessed by those gathered. I was not encouraging of their plans.
Some endeavors do not merit encouragement on behalf of Jesus Christ, but others deserve all the encouragement those involved can receive. In fact, there is a NT personality named Barnabas, whose name means “son encouragement,” Barnabas encouraged his fellow Christians, including the Apostle Paul, and Paul, in turn, encouraged others. For example, he does so in our NT reading by listing people in the congregation at Rome that he wants to greet. Simply remembering and mentioning people at times can be encouraging. There is a husband and wife, Aquila and Priscilla. There is a man, Rufus, and his mother. A brother, Nereus, and his sister; brothers Andronicus and Junias: sisters Tryphena and Tryphosa. There is an elderly fellow, Epaenetus, a single woman, Mary, and a single man, Herodian. And who are these people exactly?
As I have mentioned before, these names sound like any old list of names that when reading the Bible, especially the OT, we assume we can just hurry through. Move on to the next chapter. There’s nothing much here. But sometimes lists of names are much more than just lists of names. For example, over the years we have seen how people went to Washington D.C. and stood before the list of names of those who died during the Viet Nam War. We have seen on our TVs how they hold up children so they can put their little hands on a name, seen how they leave remembrances at the bottom of a column of names, seen how they hold each other and weep. And what this tells us is that there are lists of names that are much more than just lists of names.
“No, these folks are not just a list,” says Paul. “Aquila and Priscilla, why they risked their necks for me, put their lives on the line. Andronicus and Junius, we were in prison together for the faith. Phoebe, she’s been one of my best friends in the Lord. I wouldn’t take for her. And Mary, Mary has always worked so hard. She’s the one who says, “Now Paul, you go on home. I’ll put up the hymnals and clean the coffee pot.” I’d tell her than she needs to get on home too, and she’d answer, “But I don’t have to ride a donkey halfway across Asia tomorrow spreading the gospel like you do. You go on and get some rest. I’ll finish here.”
“Epaenetus, “says Paul, “was the first person converted under my preaching, and I was so excited that I didn’t sleep a wink that night. Tryphena and Tryphosa, identical twins, always dressed the same. I can’t tell one from the other. Now one does have a mole on her left cheek, but I never can remember which one. And tell Rufus hello, and his mom as well, for she is like my own mother. I’d be in a hurry to get on the road of a morning, but she wouldn’t let me out of the door. ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,’ she’d say. ‘Sit down and eat your waffles.”
“No,” says Paul, “this is not just a list. These are the people of my life, people with whom I have shared life in Jesus Christ, fellow church members. So greet one and all. They’re all special to me!” And how are they to be greeted? Perhaps in accordance with how Paul begins his letter to the Romans, “To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
All that Paul means by the word saint is that followers of Jesus, including us, for we’re saints too, are set aside to do God’s work. In the Bible, a saint isn’t perfect, sometimes far from it. But a saint knows that his or her job in this life is working alongside Christ as God transforms this tired old world into the new world coming. “Saints R Us,” our T-shirts could say. But we are tempted to behave like others in our society, not like Jesus; determined to get our own way as opposed to God’s will. We’re tempted to ignore injustice, tempted to be hateful or uncaring, tempted to be complicit in the wrongs done by others. We’re tempted to not be saints, and so Paul immediately in his letter provides these saints of his life one of the most encouraging lines in the NT, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul begins all his letters in this manner, “Grace to you and peace.” What you will not find is the reverse order, “Peace to you and grace.” It’s always “Grace to you and peace.” Why? Because grace, which is the internal strength God provides us to live by faith, is sufficient to bring about peace. Being at peace with the life or task that God gives us is not something we have to manufacture on our own. God gives us the needed strength and courage to fight off the stress, laziness, frustration, fears, etc., if we will only take delivery. God’s grace makes peace with our lives possible.
Given, though, the situation that some people are in, or the mood they are in at the time, it may seem to us that a word of encouragement likely will fall on deaf ears. Some of the people we want to encourage may give up or give in regardless of what we do or say. So, let’s think about whether or not words and deeds of encouragement are actually that powerful. And let’s do so by looking at our OT reading.
In the biblical world it was believed that a word, once spoken took on a life of its own, produced the intended effect by its own innate power, and could not be taken back. This, of course, sounds strange and magical to us. We live in a world in which words of advice and words of encouragement often seem “a waste of breath.” Yet, what happens if you stand up and yell “Fire! Fire!” while watching a movie in a dark theater? What happens when careless words are spoken as gossip or in anger? What happens when words are spoken that leave another person feeling disrespected” Words can have an immediate and lasting effect.
Ancient people seem to have understood the effect of words better than we do today. If they wished a person ill, they might pronounce a curse on the person. If they wished a person well, they might pronounce a blessing. And what was considered a high-powered blessing were the words uttered by a father on his deathbed to his eldest son. Words like those in our Genesis reading, “May God give you the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”
Powerful words that could not be taken back. Jacob and Esau were fraternal twins, Esau first-born. Jacob was their mother Rebecca’s favorite. Esau was their dad Isaac’s favorite, and even with twin boys, first born was important. By tradition, Esau was to get father Isaac’s Isaac’s deathbed blessing. But Rebecca urged her son Jacob to cheat Esau out of it. We read part of this story today. The entire account is in Genesis 27, including the ill will it caused toward Jacob on Esau’s part. Esau was mad enough to kill Jacob, but with the passage of years and God’s grace he forgave his brother.
By and large we do not do death bed blessings anymore, but people we love and respect from time to time may wish us well in a memorable way. A friend or family member may write you an encouraging note or email or say something in passing that puts Hallmark to shame. And like a blessing, these words become a power for good in your life. This person is with you and for you. Instead of lacking courage, you are encouraged. And isn’t the speaking or writing of such words a worthwhile activity for us all? Should not all of us be encouragers of others on Christ’s behalf.
Some twenty years ago when the new Abraham Lincoln Library opened in Springfield, Illinois, one of the displays had to do with the night that Lincoln was assassinated. Found on his body were a small handkerchief embroidered with “A. Lincoln,” a young boy’s pocketknife, a case for his eyeglasses held together with a string, a Confederate $5 Bill, and a worn-out newspaper clipping listing his accomplishments as President. The clipping began, “Abe Lincoln is one of the greatest statesmen of all time.” And why would he carry around such a clipping. Not because he was an egomaniac. No. His popularity soared only after his death. While he was alive he was opposed, criticized, and bitterly hated by many politicians and people on his own side, the North. He was not popular while he was in office. And so he carried the encouraging newspaper article as evidence of his need to be reminded that there were people of goodwill who valued him. Just like Paul valued the members of the Roman congregation.
Our NT reading today lists people that Paul encouraged, the people of his life. And sure, they had ups and downs. They didn’t always get along or agree. Still, Paul loved and appreciated them. Likewise, each of you has people in this church and in other groups, as well as family members and longtime friends who are the people of your life. And just as you need and appreciate their encouragement at times, they need and appreciate yours. So, “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and his son Jesus Christ.” Amen
Some endeavors do not merit encouragement on behalf of Jesus Christ, but others deserve all the encouragement those involved can receive. In fact, there is a NT personality named Barnabas, whose name means “son encouragement,” Barnabas encouraged his fellow Christians, including the Apostle Paul, and Paul, in turn, encouraged others. For example, he does so in our NT reading by listing people in the congregation at Rome that he wants to greet. Simply remembering and mentioning people at times can be encouraging. There is a husband and wife, Aquila and Priscilla. There is a man, Rufus, and his mother. A brother, Nereus, and his sister; brothers Andronicus and Junias: sisters Tryphena and Tryphosa. There is an elderly fellow, Epaenetus, a single woman, Mary, and a single man, Herodian. And who are these people exactly?
As I have mentioned before, these names sound like any old list of names that when reading the Bible, especially the OT, we assume we can just hurry through. Move on to the next chapter. There’s nothing much here. But sometimes lists of names are much more than just lists of names. For example, over the years we have seen how people went to Washington D.C. and stood before the list of names of those who died during the Viet Nam War. We have seen on our TVs how they hold up children so they can put their little hands on a name, seen how they leave remembrances at the bottom of a column of names, seen how they hold each other and weep. And what this tells us is that there are lists of names that are much more than just lists of names.
“No, these folks are not just a list,” says Paul. “Aquila and Priscilla, why they risked their necks for me, put their lives on the line. Andronicus and Junius, we were in prison together for the faith. Phoebe, she’s been one of my best friends in the Lord. I wouldn’t take for her. And Mary, Mary has always worked so hard. She’s the one who says, “Now Paul, you go on home. I’ll put up the hymnals and clean the coffee pot.” I’d tell her than she needs to get on home too, and she’d answer, “But I don’t have to ride a donkey halfway across Asia tomorrow spreading the gospel like you do. You go on and get some rest. I’ll finish here.”
“Epaenetus, “says Paul, “was the first person converted under my preaching, and I was so excited that I didn’t sleep a wink that night. Tryphena and Tryphosa, identical twins, always dressed the same. I can’t tell one from the other. Now one does have a mole on her left cheek, but I never can remember which one. And tell Rufus hello, and his mom as well, for she is like my own mother. I’d be in a hurry to get on the road of a morning, but she wouldn’t let me out of the door. ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,’ she’d say. ‘Sit down and eat your waffles.”
“No,” says Paul, “this is not just a list. These are the people of my life, people with whom I have shared life in Jesus Christ, fellow church members. So greet one and all. They’re all special to me!” And how are they to be greeted? Perhaps in accordance with how Paul begins his letter to the Romans, “To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
All that Paul means by the word saint is that followers of Jesus, including us, for we’re saints too, are set aside to do God’s work. In the Bible, a saint isn’t perfect, sometimes far from it. But a saint knows that his or her job in this life is working alongside Christ as God transforms this tired old world into the new world coming. “Saints R Us,” our T-shirts could say. But we are tempted to behave like others in our society, not like Jesus; determined to get our own way as opposed to God’s will. We’re tempted to ignore injustice, tempted to be hateful or uncaring, tempted to be complicit in the wrongs done by others. We’re tempted to not be saints, and so Paul immediately in his letter provides these saints of his life one of the most encouraging lines in the NT, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul begins all his letters in this manner, “Grace to you and peace.” What you will not find is the reverse order, “Peace to you and grace.” It’s always “Grace to you and peace.” Why? Because grace, which is the internal strength God provides us to live by faith, is sufficient to bring about peace. Being at peace with the life or task that God gives us is not something we have to manufacture on our own. God gives us the needed strength and courage to fight off the stress, laziness, frustration, fears, etc., if we will only take delivery. God’s grace makes peace with our lives possible.
Given, though, the situation that some people are in, or the mood they are in at the time, it may seem to us that a word of encouragement likely will fall on deaf ears. Some of the people we want to encourage may give up or give in regardless of what we do or say. So, let’s think about whether or not words and deeds of encouragement are actually that powerful. And let’s do so by looking at our OT reading.
In the biblical world it was believed that a word, once spoken took on a life of its own, produced the intended effect by its own innate power, and could not be taken back. This, of course, sounds strange and magical to us. We live in a world in which words of advice and words of encouragement often seem “a waste of breath.” Yet, what happens if you stand up and yell “Fire! Fire!” while watching a movie in a dark theater? What happens when careless words are spoken as gossip or in anger? What happens when words are spoken that leave another person feeling disrespected” Words can have an immediate and lasting effect.
Ancient people seem to have understood the effect of words better than we do today. If they wished a person ill, they might pronounce a curse on the person. If they wished a person well, they might pronounce a blessing. And what was considered a high-powered blessing were the words uttered by a father on his deathbed to his eldest son. Words like those in our Genesis reading, “May God give you the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”
Powerful words that could not be taken back. Jacob and Esau were fraternal twins, Esau first-born. Jacob was their mother Rebecca’s favorite. Esau was their dad Isaac’s favorite, and even with twin boys, first born was important. By tradition, Esau was to get father Isaac’s Isaac’s deathbed blessing. But Rebecca urged her son Jacob to cheat Esau out of it. We read part of this story today. The entire account is in Genesis 27, including the ill will it caused toward Jacob on Esau’s part. Esau was mad enough to kill Jacob, but with the passage of years and God’s grace he forgave his brother.
By and large we do not do death bed blessings anymore, but people we love and respect from time to time may wish us well in a memorable way. A friend or family member may write you an encouraging note or email or say something in passing that puts Hallmark to shame. And like a blessing, these words become a power for good in your life. This person is with you and for you. Instead of lacking courage, you are encouraged. And isn’t the speaking or writing of such words a worthwhile activity for us all? Should not all of us be encouragers of others on Christ’s behalf.
Some twenty years ago when the new Abraham Lincoln Library opened in Springfield, Illinois, one of the displays had to do with the night that Lincoln was assassinated. Found on his body were a small handkerchief embroidered with “A. Lincoln,” a young boy’s pocketknife, a case for his eyeglasses held together with a string, a Confederate $5 Bill, and a worn-out newspaper clipping listing his accomplishments as President. The clipping began, “Abe Lincoln is one of the greatest statesmen of all time.” And why would he carry around such a clipping. Not because he was an egomaniac. No. His popularity soared only after his death. While he was alive he was opposed, criticized, and bitterly hated by many politicians and people on his own side, the North. He was not popular while he was in office. And so he carried the encouraging newspaper article as evidence of his need to be reminded that there were people of goodwill who valued him. Just like Paul valued the members of the Roman congregation.
Our NT reading today lists people that Paul encouraged, the people of his life. And sure, they had ups and downs. They didn’t always get along or agree. Still, Paul loved and appreciated them. Likewise, each of you has people in this church and in other groups, as well as family members and longtime friends who are the people of your life. And just as you need and appreciate their encouragement at times, they need and appreciate yours. So, “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and his son Jesus Christ.” Amen
