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Scripture for Sunday, July 23: Romans 1:8-15
Additional Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12
Image by Freepik
Shortly after our first child was born, I started a personal photo sharing webpage for out-of-state family members. I wanted to share the joy and document the growth of our new little bundle.
Scrolling through those pictures now does bring joy. But it also reminds me that the pictures told only part of the story. The cheerful faces posing for grandma never indicated that the same grandma received 11 p.m. distress calls from a new mother with a colicky baby.
Social media was great for sharing the good things. But in the thick of discouragement, direct personal contact was better. And physical presence would have been the very best.
In Romans 1:11-12, Paul expresses his longing to visit the church at Rome--a church he has never visited in person. "I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to make you strong," he says; "that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith."
Paul's stated purpose for his visit to Rome is to grant them a spiritual gift to strengthen them. Spiritual gifts in other places in the New Testament (e.g., 1 Corinthians 12) come as gifts God gives to his people for the benefit of the whole church.
Yet here Paul seems to expect that the "spiritual gift" he wants to give through his personal, physical visit to Rome will result in a double bonus. The gift will not simply come through Paul as God's messenger to the church; the strengthening will echo back and encourage Paul too.
Magnificent as Paul's letter to the Romans is, he seems to suggest that the magnum opus that will follow these opening verses can't take the place of being physically present with this group of Christians. I guess you just had to be there.
It is possible for us to be "alone together" even amid the various platforms we use to connect. It's possible for us to present ourselves publicly in ways that perpetuate our loneliness.
We were made to be known deeply and loved well, even in all the messy, painful dimensions of life. And the physical presence of other people who know and love us and know and love our Lord brings his comfort closer.
1) What impact--positive and negative--does contact with others through the platform of social media have on your relationships in daily life?
2) What gifts of encouragement have you received from being in the company of other followers of Christ? How does that differ from contact at a greater distance?
3) 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 1 use similar terms for spiritual gifts (charisma, pneuma). Using your sanctified imagination, consider what connections Paul may have had in mind between being present among other believers and receiving a gift from the Spirit. (One idea: Matthew 18:20 )
