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Introductions


 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. (Romans 1:8-12) 

          How do you feel about meeting new people? I have friends who seem to see everyone as a new best friend they just haven’t met yet. Most of the time, I see everyone either as the next person who is going to look down his/her nose at me and walk away, or the next person who is going to attach themselves to me and use me. Of course, everyone isn’t like one or the other, but when I meet a new person, my unspoken question is: Are you one of those?
          Quite a few years back, as I was talking to someone I didn’t know, I realized that I was over-sharing. My picture of what I was doing was that I was trying to convince them that I am a freak. If they were a look-down-the-nose sort, they would have ample reason to do so quickly, when it wouldn’t hurt so much. If they were a parasite, they would have ample reason to decide that I was not the sort of host they wanted.
       This is Paul’s situation. Most of the Pauline epistles are written to churches Paul founded or pastors he mentored. The letter to the Romans was sent to introduce Paul to a church that he’d heard about. He seems fairly certain that they had heard of him as well. If you’ve read even parts of Romans, it’s not a breezy, friendly introduction of Paul. It’s a theological treatise. In a way, it’s his resume. It let the Roman church know exactly where he stood. 
          In a day when it’s not politically correct to care about someone’s theology, this is refreshing. I have difficulties with the idea of “joining” a church, AKA “church membership,” but I love the idea of being so clear about one’s beliefs and being able to articulate them. The letters to the Romans and to the Hebrews (written by someone who knew Paul) are similar. They’re long. They’re detailed. They deserve attention and I hope to scratch the surface in the next months. I’m going to bring along a fellow traveler who may be known to you: C.S. Lewis.

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